TCU Football: How Upset Loss Will Hurt Horned Frogs' BCS Hopes

The 2011 college football season has barely begun and yet TCU's hopes of a third consecutive BCS bowl berth are already dead in the water.

The Horned Frogs suffered a disappointing 50-48 defeat on the road to in-state rival Baylor in the 107th meeting between these two Texas schools.

TCU fell behind 47-23 in the third quarter before sophomore quarterback Casey Pachall, in his first start as Andy Dalton's fill-in, led the Frogs to 25 unanswered points. However, the Bears climbed back on top with a 37-yard field goal at the 1:04 mark of the fourth quarter and sealed the deal with an interception in the closing seconds of the game.

Who's the Biggest Winner?

Clearly, the biggest winner in this one is Baylor and, by extension, the Big 12. Led by quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Bears offense absolutely torched the Frogs' vaunted defense, which last season was tops in the nation in total yards per game allowed, for 564 total yards.

The victory is a huge one for a Baylor program that's just begun to get off the ground after winning seven games in 2010 and is doubly sweet, as it both avenges last season's 45-10 defeat and snaps TCU's FBS-best 25-game win streak.

Baylor's success also gives the Big 12 a marquee non-conference victory to pin to its ever-shrinking hat. The league is currently suffering from the planned departure of Texas A&M and now the news that Oklahoma will consider taking its storied program elsewhere in the near future.

Does TCU still have BCS chance?

 Not this year. The Horned Frogs will be in prime position to power their way back to the BCS when they join the weak Big East in 2012. As for this season, though, TCU would have to roll right through their remaining schedule with impressive ease, which seems highly unlikely given both the way the Frogs performed against the Bears and remaining games against BYU and at No. 5 Boise State.

What's more, no team from a non-automatic qualifying conference has ever reached a BCS bowl with a blemish on its record. 

What It Means

The TCU football dynasty is officially over...for now. The Horned Frogs have enjoyed seven seasons of double-digit wins since Gary Patterson took over the program in 2001, Andy Dalton or no.

Given Patterson's track record of success, don't expect TCU to be down for long. The team will improve as the season goes along, especially as Pachall gets a better hold of things under center.

That being said, the Frogs clearly have their work cut out for them in pursuit of their third consecutive Mountain West crown, especially with the Broncos ready to take the shrinking league by storm. 

Biggest Thing to Fix

Generally speaking, defense. Specifically, passing defense. The Frogs' revamped secondary gave up 414 yards and six scores while the team's pass rush struggled to get much of any pressure on Griffith III, who has some escapability but isn't exactly a mobile quarterback, per se.

Pivotal Turnaround Game

The Frogs will have to wait almost two months before they have the opportunity to prove their worth against former MWC foe BYU. TCU will welcome the Cougars to Fort Worth on October 28th under the Friday night lights at Amon Carter Stadium, hoping to prove that this week's woes were fluky rather than Texas-sized. 

Who They Play Next

TCU will look to bounce back when they travel to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force. The Horned Frogs crushed the Falcons last season, 38-7, though, if the loss to Baylor is any indication, last year's triumphs do anything but guarantee success for TCU this time around.

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