Note: This story is featured in the 2026 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Summer Magazine, which you can order here.

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BEHIND ENEMY LINES  

“No one in the conference was scared to play TCU since that 2022 run because they couldn’t run the ball. That’s why the offensive coordinator hire (Gordon Sammis) was so smart. The passing game won’t be as good without (Josh) Hoover but a better running game would make up for that and maybe they win an extra game or two because of it.”  

“They’ve kind of zigged away from the trends in recruiting by relying on mostly high school guys. That’s probably a smart way to do it if you don’t have a huge budget and if you trust your staff to develop players. We’ll see about that developmental piece this year because they lost the playmakers and household names on offense and defense.”  

“Offensively they’ve been soft. The defense is legit, and they’ve got some dudes over there. Hiring a former offensive line coach as OC was a good move.”  

SCHEDULE AND PREDICTIONS  

Aug. 29 North Carolina (Ireland) W 

Sept. 5 IDLE 

Sept. 12 Grambling State W 

Sept. 19 Arkansas State W 

Sept. 26 at UCF W 

Oct. 3 BYU L 

Oct. 10 IDLE 

Oct. 17 at Baylor W 

Oct. 24 West Virginia W 

Oct. 31 Kansas W 

Nov. 7 at Arizona L 

Nov. 14 Kansas State W 

Nov. 21 Utah L 

Nov. 28 at Texas Tech  L 

Record: 8-4 (5-4) 

BIGGEST GAME – Nov. 28 at Texas Tech  

TCU closes the regular season with what should be a high stakes road trip against the Red Raiders in a game that could have Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff implications. The Horned Frogs have won five of the last six meetings with Texas Tech but lost in their last trip to Lubbock.  

TRAP GAME – Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia  

UCF and West Virginia feel like the only sure-fire wins for TCU on its Big 12 schedule, at least on paper. The home game against West Virginia takes place a week after the road trip to Baylor and is only two games from a big matchup with BYU.  

UPSET ALERT – Oct. 3 vs. BYU  

BYU bullied the Frogs in a 44-13 victory at home in the 2025 meeting. TCU can exact some revenge when it hosts BYU on the first Saturday of October. The Cougars figure to be one of the favorites in the Big 12 race alongside Texas Tech.  

BEST CASE/WORST CASE 

Best Case: 11-1 

New blood on the offensive side of the ball, namely offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis and Harvard transfer QB Jaden Craig, and a Big 12 schedule that only includes four road trips propel the Horned Frogs into a magical run that reminds the fan base of the 2022 season.    

Worst Case: 4-8  

TCU’s new offensive coordinator and quarterback struggle to get on the same page as a non-conference loss in Ireland to North Carolina is reminiscent of the 2023 season-opening loss to Colorado because it demoralizes the Frogs and puts them on a collision course with a losing season.   

2025 RESULTS 

Sept. 1 at North Carolina W 48-14  
Sept. 13 ACU W 42-21 

Sept. 20 SMU W 35-24 

Sept. 26 at Arizona State L 27-24 

Oct. 4 Colorado W 35-21 

Oct. 11 at Kansas State L 41-28 

Oct. 18 Baylor W 42-36 

Oct. 25 at West Virginia W 23-17 

Nov. 8 Iowa State L 20-17 

Nov. 15 at BYU L 44-13 

Nov. 22 at Houston W 17-14 

Nov. 29 Cincinnati W 45-23 

Dec. 30 USC (Alamo Bowl) W 30-27 (OT) 

Record 9-4 (5-4)