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TCU Football
In an exhilarating win against the West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday, the TCU Horned Frogs — and even more, their first-year head coach Sonny Dykes — continue to restore pride among fans after visions for victory briefly tumbled amid last year's downfall that ended in a 5-7 season.
The win, 41-31, further propelled the 2022 football season into TCU history books and anchored the team's success as the lone undefeated in the Big 12 with an 8-0 record. Initially, the odds favored the Mountaineers, who hosted in Morgantown and have defeated the Horned Frogs for the last four seasons. (The 12-game rivalry is now 5-7 with the Mountaineers at the lead.)
Now, TCU's ongoing winning streak stands only with those of Clemson and Michigan — a bout of success just few could foretell.
Even the greatest supporters showed doubts for a prosperous season earlier this year after the sudden parting between the Horned Frogs and longtime head coach Gary Patterson. For many, they were, at most, optimistic that the Horned Frogs would simply do better.
Meanwhile, preseason predictions had also cast no signs of hope, driving the narrative for a losing record before the season ever began.
But the team quickly steamrolled all doubts after securing a bowl just six games in and upholding a perfect record through eight games, where they've already faced their greatest challengers — four of which were also ranked, including Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
"No one talked about us before the season," Max Duggan, the current starting quarterback for the Frogs, told Fort Worth Magazine after their win over Kansas State. "We never listened to them. I think now when people start talking about you, you do the same thing. You don't listen to them."
As they close out the remainder of the season — competing against Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor and Iowa State — it's hard to even guess how far their success will go. Already, the team has busted through one milestone after the other.
For instance, in mid-October, the Horned Frogs saw their highest rank of No. 7 for the first time since 2017, according to historical data from the Associated Press' Top 25 poll. Now, the Frogs are ranked in the Top Four.
Additionally, the team hasn't started with an 8-0 winning streak since 2015. This is one of only seven occurrences throughout the 100-year history of the TCU football program that the team has seen such an accomplishment; in two cases, in 1938 and 2010, the team closed the season with a perfect record.
Records also show that the Horned Frogs haven't seen a win against Kansas State since 2018, when they won by one point, 14-13, at the Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
They also haven't defeated Oklahoma since 2014, when they beat the Sooners 37-33 (also at home). In fact, this year's winning game was only the second-ever time the Horned Frogs defeated the Sooners since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
And while each of these achievements could stand alone in terms of their success, absolutely no one thought they would do all of this with the back-up quarterback taking the snaps — a feat they've never showcased prior to this season.
With the next accomplishment to come, it's safe to say all eyes are watching closely for what's next: fans with eager anticipation, and rivals, possibly, with slight trepidation.
