TCU Football: 5 Most Highly Anticipated Games Next Year

TCU's move to the Big 12 means the toughest schedule the Horned Frogs have had to navigate in years. While detractors of the team have largely contended that TCU's success comes from an easy schedule, fans of the Horned Frogs will tell you TCU is ready to contend with the big boys of the Big 12 full-time.

Fortunately for fans, the debate will be settled over the next few, years and 2012 will give us the first full season of the newly formed relationship between TCU and the Big 12.

Here are five of the most highly anticipated games on the Horned Frogs schedule in chronological order.

At SMU, Sept. 29

The TCU Horned Frogs should be favored in most, if not all, of their first seven games. Starting with Grambling State, Kansas, Virginia, SMU, Iowa State, Baylor and Texas Tech should give TCU some great momentum, but that pales in comparison to the marquee matchups that take place in the latter half of the schedule.

However, one game that pops out in those first seven is the Battle of the Iron Skillet game against SMU. TCU and SMU have a rivalry that goes all the way back to 1915, and the Frogs hold the all-time advantage at 44-40-7 against their bitter rivals.

This game should be extremely interesting as June Jones has the Mustangs continually improving and they were able to give TCU one of its only two losses last season. The Frogs secondary will need to show it is better this season as Jones' run-and-shoot offense put up 40 points in the Mustangs' OT victory last season.

This game may not have Big 12 implications, but it certainly means a lot to the fans and players who will remember the sting of last season's loss.

At West Virginia, Nov. 3

Fast-forwarding all the way to November, the Frogs will make the road trip to Morgantown just one week after a tough game against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

Against a fellow Big 12 newcomer, this game should show us which team is better equipped to compete in the the new-look conference.

Beyond the conference implications, this game is a great clash of styles. TCU is traditionally known for its swarming defenses since the beginning of the Gary Patterson era, and the Mountaineers have been putting up points in bunches since the days of former head coach Rich Rodriguez.

The Mountaineers like to throw the ball more with Dana Holgorsen now at the helm and will present TCU's secondary with a huge challenge. As a unit that struggled last season, slowing down West Virginia's attack would be a defining success for this year's team.

Vs. Kansas State, Nov. 10

Kansas State was the Big 12's biggest surprise team last season, finishing with a 10-3 record and as the Big 12's runner-up to the champion Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Frogs will be happy to return home after back-to-back road games, but the Wildcats will be up to the task of making this a great game. Kansas State returns dual-threat quarterback Collin Klein, who rushed for 1,141 yards and an astounding 27 touchdowns last season.

Besides the fact that both teams should be good in 2012, the Gary Patterson-Kansas State connection should be an interesting side plot. Patterson played for the Wildcats as a linebacker/safety and began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in the early '80s.

If/when Bill Snyder leaves Kansas State for good, Patterson will inevitably be mentioned as a replacement, so it's important for TCU to beat the 'Cats and show Patterson that Ft. Worth is a much better place to be.

At Texas, Nov. 24

The Big 12 schedule-makers decided to save the biggest matchups for last on TCU's schedule. After a bye week, the Horned Frogs will take on the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners in back-to-back weeks.

TCU, along with every other Texas school, has long played "little brother" to Texas, so whether the Frogs win this game will affect their respect around the conference. Texas should boast one of the top defenses in the country and TCU's offense should be explosive, and this could be a highly entertaining matchup.

The last time TCU played Texas was in 2007 when the Frogs received a 34-13 drubbing. They will look to show that they have indeed grown in the last five years and belong with the best teams in the conference.

Vs. Oklahoma, Dec. 1

TCU's final game of the season is definitely the grand finale.

In Oklahoma, the Frogs take on a traditional Big 12 powerhouse that will have star quarterback Landry Jones at the helm and should be right in the thick of the Big 12 race. Much like Texas, Oklahoma is one of the premier names in college football, and a win over the Sooners would win the respect of the nation.

The Frogs have played the Sooners a few times during the Gary Patterson era, famously defeating the Adrian Peterson-led team in 2005 before getting beaten handily 35-10 in 2008. These programs are somewhat familiar with each other, but the 2012 edition of the game will set the tone for the many battles between these two teams to come.