TCU can take a big edge in the Big 12
TCU and West Virginia joined the Big 12 at the same time. Their first season was 2012.
The Mountaineers were coming off an Orange Bowl victory over Clemson and were considered immediate contenders. The Horned Frogs figured to have to build their way into conference contention.
Instead, both teams went 4-5 in Big 12 play that first season, then 2-7 the next year. Clearly, both TCU and West Virginia needed an adjustment period.
But TCU got there first. The Frogs tied Baylor for the 2014 Big 12 title, finished 12-1 overall, then were back again in 2015 as a major threat. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers still haven’t cracked the Big 12 code.
All of which makes the TCU-WVU game Saturday in Fort Worth huge for the Mountaineers. TCU already has a victory in Stillwater. If the Frogs beat the Mountaineers, TCU will have a huge jump on one of the two slots in the Big 12 championship game. West Virginia will join OSU in likely having to fend off third-ranked Oklahoma for a berth in Arlington.
“Nobody knows how it’s going to play out,” said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. “I know coaches aren’t going to sit here and play out scenarios and think about it that way. You gotta take every one and just play it. We’re not going to sit here and project, I can tell you that.”
TCU came from the Mountain West Conference, West Virginia from the Big East.
“If you look back where we were, two very successful programs,” Holgorsen said, in conferences that ranked below what we now call the Power 5. “It’s been fun to watch. We both came in with high expectations, used to winning, winning traditions. All that. The next year, we were both 4-8.
“Took a couple of years to get the depth where we need to be. TCU, they’re playing two and three deep now. They’ve built it up the right way. Increased their facilities, increased their recruiting. We’ve had some really good battles and we’ve grown the same way.”
Just not as fast as TCU. And that needs to change starting Saturday for the Mountaineers.