The Big 12 released the entire conference schedule earlier today, and it left many TCU fans with more questions than answers. Even though fans knew the entire non-conference schedule as well as the opponents that the Horned Frogs would be playing in 2024, fans were hoping for a more favorable schedule next year as the Big 12 transitions from being a 14-team league to a 16-team league with the additions of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Arizona State and the departures of Texas and Oklahoma.
At the same time, the schedule isn’t all that bad. There are certainly teams that got dealt a tougher hand. Here is the full breakdown of the schedule.
Brutal Four-Week Stretch, Easy Finish
With two bye weeks in 2024, most Big 12 teams don’t have to play four consecutive games in the middle of the season without a break. That isn’t the case for TCU. After playing five weeks in a row to start off the season, the Horned Frogs will get a break following the Houston game.
After that break, games get very difficult, with TCU having to travel to Salt Lake to play Utah, host Texas Tech, go to Baylor, and host Oklahoma State.
Utah and Oklahoma State are expected to be contenders to play in the Big 12 Championship game. Baylor is a rivalry game that can always go either way, and Texas Tech is always a wildcard team that can easily be either a contender or a bottom-dwelling team.
Regardless, when looking around the rest of the conference, there is no other team that will likely have to go through a four-game stretch as difficult without a bye week as TCU does.
At the same time, if TCU can make it through the four-game stretch, they will get a week off before hosting Arizona and finishing with a road game at Cincinnati. Not to say that either team will be an automatic win, but that scenario is favorable to finishing on a high note and getting bowl-eligible if needing a few wins, particularly with TCU’s athletics play-style.
TCU Home Games vs Away Games is a Nice Mix
Fans have known the home games vs away games since November 2nd, but the contrast between the two is about as fair as it can get.
- Home Games: Houston, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Arizona, UCF
- Away Games: Kansas, Utah, Baylor, Cincinnati
When looking at a team like Texas Tech who has to go on the road to Arizona, TCU, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State, TCU’s schedule doesn’t seem so bad. The balance of having the top teams both at home and on the road is a nice mix for the Horned Frogs.
If anything, fans should be worried about having to play Kansas, Utah, Oklahoma State, and Arizona all in one season. At the same time, let’s be honest; nobody thought Arizona would be a top-half team when they announced they’d be joining the league back in July 2023.
A-B-C Model Not Happening Next Two Seasons
TCU vs SMU has been an ongoing rivalry game that has been played almost every year since 1922. The game is scheduled to go on halt after the 2025 season, but for now, TCU is going to have to play two additional P4 games as the Mustangs are going into the ACC.
Normally, TCU likes to schedule the ABC model or an FCS game, a G5 game, and a P5 game. This year, not only does TCU have to play SMU and Stanford as two P4 opponents, but they have to play them both on the road. They will have the same issue in 2025 when they play SMU and North Carolina.
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