Five way-too-early TCU football predictions for 2015

Sean Taylor

June 23, 2015

TCU exceeded even the most optimistic fan’s expectations with an 12-1 finish to 2014, but Horned Frogs fans were left wanting more.

Fortunately for them, TCU brings back essentially the same team next season and shouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon.

Here are a few way-too-early predictions for the Forgs in ’15.

1. Trevone Boykin is a major award finalist. At this point last year, many didn’t see Boykin as a quarterback, let alone the Big 12 offensive player of the year. He put worries of his ability to lead an offense to rest in 2014, and with another summer to work with his receivers and Sonny Cumbie, there won’t be many teams with enough on defense to limit the amount of ways Boykin can beat them. Hesiman may be a long shot, especially since he’d likely have to better his numbers in every way from 2014, but Boykin will at least be a finalist for the award, as well as the Maxwell, O’Brien and maybe others.

2. No one will score more than TCU. The Horned Frogs will finish in the top three nationally in scoring for 2014, depending on how Oregon plays in the CFP championship. Only Baylor and the Ducks sit ahead of the Frogs right now. This comes less than a year after co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie took control of the unit. Incredibly, neither coach has been snatched by another school looking to replicate what TCU did this year. With the experienced gained and another full offseason, as well as all but two starters returning from one of the best units in the nation, Meacham and Cumbie will have something special in 2015.

3. Aaron Green becomes a major NFL prospect. Green started the season backing up B.J. Catalon, but took full advantage of his opportunity when Catalon was hurt late in the season. While Green surprised some by coming seemingly out of nowhere to be the Frogs leading rusher, he’s no slouch. Green was the No. 8 running back in the country when he came out of high school, according to Rivals. He didn’t have much of an impact as a freshman at Nebraska or his first year of eligibility with TCU, but his junior performance reminded many of the back they saw out of San Antonio in the class of 2011. Peaking at the right time, Green will have plenty of scouts’ attention this coming fall.

4. Frogs defense will have trouble up the middle. There’s a school of thought in baseball that you want to be strongest up the middle with talent at catcher, second base, shortstop and centerfield. The same rule can be applied to football. The Frogs were great up the middle with defensive tackle Chucky Hunter, linebackers Paul Dawson and Marcus Mallet and safety Sam Carter anchoring the defense. But all four graduate this season, meaning TCU needs to replace 236 tackles from the two linebacker spots, as well as 44 from Hunter at DT and 55 from Carter at safety. TCU has a next-man-up mentality, but there’s a lot to replace right up the center of the defense for there not to be some decrease in production.

5. TCU wins a second Big 12 title. TCU is on the road for five of its nine Big 12 games in 2015, but don’t expect there to be much drop off for the Frogs in conference play. Trips to Texas Tech, Iowa State and Oklahoma State will likely be simple enough for the Frogs, and a trip to Norman to face the Sooners is nowhere near as scary as it used to be. Kansas State will be TCU’s toughest road test, but the true challenges will come at home. Baylor and West Virginia gave TCU its biggest tests of 2014, but both have to come to Fort Worth. Another potentially challenging against Texas will be in Fort Worth as well. With the toughest games coming to The Carter, the Frogs have to be favorites to repeat in the conference and eye a shot at the College Football Playoff.