No. 10: TCU Horned Frogs
The One Great Season College Football Countdown continues Monday. We'll be counting down the preseason Top 25 teams in 2010. Today's No. 10 is TCU.
By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season
Texas Christian's calling card in coach Gary Patterson's nine years there has been its defense, but last year's offense woke up and showed a similar ability to dominate.
And with dual-threat quarterback Andy Dalton leading a unit that returns nine starters, the Horned Frogs seem poised to better their nearly 40 ppg average from a year ago.
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With a pair of 600-yard rushers returning in 2010, as well as four wideouts who combined for 133 catches and more than 1,900 yards last season, the TCU offense should sing. And it will do so with a very experienced offensive line that could be among the nation's finest. Marcus Cannon and Jake Kirkpatrick are studs up front.
Defensively, the Horned Frogs lost star end Jerry Hughes, but the other starting linemen return, including end Wayne Daniels.
Tank Carder and Tanner Brock will lead a talented group of linebackers, but if the Horned Frogs have one chink in their armor, it might be in the secondary, where they lost the MWC's top corners from a year ago.
Who's back? QB Andy Dalton, DE Wayne Daniels, LB Tank Carder, LB Tanner Brock
Who's gone? RB Joseph Turner, OG Marshall Newhouse, DE Jerry Hughes, LB Daryl Washington
Why they'll win: Sixteen returning starters from a 12-1 team? It's hard to be more optimistic.
Why they'll lose: It won't happen often, but a tough road test at Utah, in the teams' final game as MWC foes, could be tricky.
Get your tickets: vs. Oregon State (Sept. 4), vs. BYU (Oct. 16), at Utah (Nov. 6)
Prediction: 11-1 (7-1, MWC champs)
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