TCU vs. WVU: How Horned Frogs' Win Reshapes Playoff Picture

Somehow, someway, the No. 7 TCU Horned Frogs picked up a massive 31-30 win on the road over No. 20 West Virginia on Saturday evening.

Jaden Oberkrom hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give the Horned Frogs the victory in what was one of the weirder games you'll see all year.

TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin threw for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 12-of-30 passing. Running back B.J. Catalon amassed 105 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson praised the performance of the Mountaineers defense, per Sara Wells of the WVU athletic department:

The Horned Frogs did a great job of shutting down Kevin White. The senior wide receiver was considered by many to be among the best in the country, but the Mountaineers star had three receptions for 28 yards.

Despite forcing five turnovers against the West Virginia offense, TCU was down for almost the entirety of the game. Had it not been for the Mountaineers' risk-averse, prevent offense late in the fourth quarter, the Horned Frogs likely would've picked up their second loss of the season.

ESPN.com's Max Olson highlighted just how poorly West Virginia performed down the stretch:

Perhaps it was the college football gods making things right for TCU after the team threw away a sure win late against the Baylor Bears back on Oct. 11.

Now, the question is how the College Football Playoff selection committee grades the Horned Frogs.

Beating West Virginia in Morgantown is a nice win, but are they docked style points for the nature of the victory?

This win has big playoff implications from a Big 12 perspective, as it keeps the conference in the hunt for one of those four coveted spots. Had the Horned Frogs lost, the Kansas State Wildcats and Baylor Bears would've been the only two teams left with any sort of chance—and the two have yet to play one another, so it's really only one other team.

Pos.	Team	Record
1	Mississippi State Bulldogs	7-0 (4-0 SEC)
2	Florida State Seminoles	8-0 (5-0 ACC)
3	Auburn Tigers	6-1 (3-1 SEC)
4	TCU Horned Frogs	7-1 (4-1 Big 12)

In order for the Big 12 to have a playoff representative, the conference champion must have one loss. There's almost no way a two-loss Oklahoma/TCU/Kansas State/Baylor jumps ahead of the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions.

Should TCU, Baylor or Kansas State finish 11-1, it would also avoid a potential doomsday scenario alluded to by ESPN College GameDay's Lee Fitting:

If Florida State remains unbeaten—which looks like a strong possibility after the Seminoles' win over Louisville—the Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 will all be vying for one, maybe two spots. You can lock in the SEC champion, FSU and possibly another one-loss SEC West team, depending on how things pan out there.

In terms of the conference hierarchy, the Big 12 might be ahead of the Big Ten, but it's still looking up at the Pac-12. The Big 12's playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of the Wildcats, Bears and Horned Frogs.

Kansas State and Baylor have a few more hurdles to scale before their possible title-deciding contest. The Wildcats play TCU and West Virginia over the next two weeks, while the Bears have Oklahoma and a tricky game against Oklahoma State the week after that.

TCU's arguably in pole position to win the conference. As USA Today's Dan Wolken pointed out, the Horned Frogs would be free and clear if they can beat K-State:

Right now, TCU gets the edge over Kansas State because of its wins over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia on the road. Plus, the Horned Frogs are one fourth-quarter collapse away from being unbeaten.

Oregon has a strong case for getting the fourth spot, but so many question marks remain about the Ducks. Their defense and offensive line raise some major red flags—not to mention they haven't had the most daunting of schedules so far.