Texas @ TCU preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 25, 2016 ) Texas Christian 31, Texas 9

TCU's shot at a spot in the College Football Playoff took a big hit when it fell at Iowa State last weekend, and the Horned Frogs opened at No. 8 when the first playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday. TCU still has a shot at a spot in the Big 12 title game but expects to get another stiff challenge on Saturday from visiting Texas.

The Horned Frogs are now tied atop the Big 12 at 4-1 with Iowa State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and they go on the road to face the Sooners on Nov. 11. TCU will need to come up with more offense to win any of its remaining games than it managed last weekend, when the lone touchdown scored in the 14-7 loss to the Cyclones came on a 94-yard return of the opening kickoff of the third quarter by KaVontae Turpin. The Longhorns are coming off a 38-7 thrashing of Baylor and fought both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the wire, dropping the two games by a combined eight points. "We're going into this week, just trying to take it as a championship game," Texas wide receiver Dorian Leonard told reporters. "Going out there and giving everything we have, trying to come home with some good results."

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: TCU -7

ABOUT TEXAS (4-4, 3-2 Big 12): The Longhorns forced three turnovers in the win over the Bears after holding an explosive Cowboys team to 13 points in a tight loss, and the defense is playing with confidence. "We are playing within the system a lot," defensive end Malcolm Roach told reporters. "We are playing pretty good, and we could get better. Just continue to play hard and play within the system, I think we will be pretty good." That defense is supporting an offense that turned to quarterback Shane Buechele with Sam Ehlinger (concussion) out last week and was rewarded with a 27-of-34 passing performance for 256 yards and a touchdown.

ABOUT TCU (7-1, 4-1): Quarterback Kenny Hill threw a total of three interceptions in the first seven games and was coming off a five-TD, no-INT performance in a win over Kansas when he suffered through his worst game of the season at Iowa State, passing for a season-low 135 yards with two picks. The defense kept the Horned Frogs in the game and yielded a total of 40 yards and no points in the second half. TCU is eighth out of 130 FBS teams in points allowed at an average of 14.8 and it held its last three opponents to an average of 6.7 points.

EXTRA POINTS

1. TCU DE Mat Boesen recorded a sack in each of the last three games.

2. Ehlinger cleared the concussion protocol and returned to practice this week.

3. The Horned Frogs took the last three in the series and are 4-1 against the Longhorns since joining the Big 12 in 2012.

PREDICTION: TCU 27, Texas 21