The Grandaddy of them all is still the guts of three weeks away but Al Dannity is already convinced of the key to this game. Defense will decide the clash between TCU and Wisconsin in Pasadena.
Make no mistake, this is a mis-match Wisconsin’s commitment to the run has been well-established but they will have no choice but to deploy some gadget plays against the Horned Frogs. For all the Badgers’ fame as a run-offense, TCU actually averaged 13.9 rushing yards per game more than Wisconsin in the regular season. Throw in a 27.5 yards per game advantage in the passing game for TCU and the Badgers looked outmatched on offense. The Horned Frogs are better known for their defense and rightly so.
TCU has the nation’s #1 defense in 2010, holding opponents to just 11.4 points per game. John Clay and James White could hit a brick wall against the Horned Frogs’ #3 run defense, forcing Bret Bielema to work Scott Tolzien’s arm into the game. Against TCU’s pass-defense which is, you guessed it, #1 in the nation that may not be such a good idea. That will force Bielema to try to outwit the Horned Frogs through trick plays, as the threat of these is the only way he will create some space for more traditional offense.
Dalton’s arm will play key role College Football betting fans know that when a quarterback is described as showing ‘maturity’ it really means he’s making a lot less mistakes than in previous years. Andy Dalton has shown that kind of maturity throughout the 2010 season. He was far from perfect, telegraphing some throws against SMU, but the TCU signal caller’s senior year has been his best for pass completion percentage, touchdown to interception ratio, passer rating and remains on course to be his best for passing yards in a four year career. He will need to display that kind of efficiency in Pasadena.
The verdict The big school in this game wears purple, has a red-haired quarterback, plays in a stadium it can’t fill, and considers a move to the Big East to be an upgrade. Make no mistake about it, TCU is not only a better team but it has access to better athletes than the Badgers. For all of Wisconsin’s tradition, it simply can’t match up to the recruiting advantage TCU enjoys by being based in the Metroplex. Despite competition from Big 12 schools, the Horned Frogs still have more raw talent at their disposal than Wisconsin. That’s why TCU sent more players to the NFL draft in 2008 than any other team in Texas yet still went 12-0 in the 2009 regular season. Then they went and did it again in 2010. It may have taken Gary Patterson to realise it but it turns out the Horned Frogs are a lot more than the school that produced Davey O’Brien, Sammy Baugh, and LaDainian Tomlinson. The Rose Bowl will be the next notch on their belt as they continue their rise to the top. This won’t be close, bet on the TCU Horned Frogs as -3.0 favorites with Sports Interaction.
