Fiesta Bowl Preview: Why TCU Will Roll Over Boise State

In the lineup to get Fiesta Bowl credentials today, a Boise State fan told me that he really did not have much hope for the Broncos after attending the TCU practice earlier in the week. TCU was just "too fast".

While speed is important, TCU will win the Fiesta Bowl for more than just speed.

It takes talent, will, and great coaching; all of which TCU has in abundance.

Now, Boise State will put up a good fight and do well, but in the end, TCU will pound the Broncos down. Don't look for a close game, unlike the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl.

TCU has changed in the last year. Where in the past, TCU used its offense to merely control the clock and score one more than their opponents, now the Frogs look to pounce early and knock their opponents out of the game.

With the No. 1 defense in the nation and the No. 4 offense, TCU looks to unleash fury on Boise State.

I see much like this year's TCU-BYU and TCU-Utah games, both of which had ESPN's College GameDay on hand. In both games, TCU hit early and often, putting the games out of reach. 

In 2008, TCU let both Utah and Boise State remain in the games, in spite of having dominated the stat charts. By doing so, TCU allowed Utah to come back and needed to scrap to win the game against Boise State.

This season, TCU only had two games that were really in question late in the game, at Clemson and at Air Force. Both games were early in the season and in very adverse weather conditions (a monsoon at Clemson and an ice storm at Air Force). 

Following the Air Force game, TCU has come out dominating all of its opponents, not allowing any of them to even think they had a chance at winning the game. It is mental domination, as much as anything else, that has given TCU a strong edge.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson has stated that he wants TCU to be the Miami of Texas; the small private school that intimidates and dominates its opponents, gaining an edge before the game even starts. 

As for Boise, I fully respect their program and what has been built in a relatively short time. Hopefully, Boise State will be an annual opponent for TCU in an expanded Mountain West Conference.

Ultimately, I hope for a good game. But I strongly believe we are looking at a big win for TCU.

Both teams should start next season highly ranked and both should be strong contenders for, not a BCS game next season, but the BCS title game.

TCU 38 — Boise State 14.