ESPN College Gameday 2022: Week 14 Location Hosts, TV Schedule and Predictions
TCU has never been the outright Big 12 champion, and it has only won a share of the title once, in 2014. But that could soon change.
On Saturday, the Horned Frogs will look to remain undefeated when they take on Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
It's one of several conference championship matchups taking place this weekend that will help decide which four teams will reach the College Football Playoff.
ESPN's College GameDay will be airing live from Arlington at 9 a.m. ET to kick off the day's action. It's the third time this season that the popular college football kickoff show will be held at the site of a TCU game.
Before diving deeper into the Big 12 title tilt, here's the full schedule of conference championship games, along with predictions for each contest.
Conference Championship Schedule, Predictions
Friday, Dec. 2
Conference USA: North Texas vs. UTSA, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Pac-12: No. 11 Utah vs. No. 4 USC, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Saturday, Dec. 3
Big 12: No. 10 Kansas State vs. No. 3 TCU, noon ET, ABC
MAC: Toledo vs. Ohio, noon ET, ESPN
Sun Belt: Coastal Carolina vs. Troy, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
SEC: No. 14 LSU vs. No. 1 Georgia, 4 p.m. ET, CBS
AAC: No. 22 UCF vs. No. 18 Tulane, 4 p.m. ET, ABC
Mountain West: Fresno State vs. Boise State, 4 p.m. ET, Fox
Big Ten: Purdue vs. No. 2 Michigan, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
ACC: No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 23 North Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Picks in bold.
Big 12 Championship Game Preview
If TCU loses the Big 12 Championship Game and finishes 12-1, will its resume still be impressive enough for the College Football Playoff selection committee? It could be a close call, and it will lead to plenty of debates.
That's why the Horned Frogs need to take care of business on Saturday. If they win the Big 12 title to improve to 13-0, they're heading to the CFP for the first time in program history. There will be no question about it.
TCU has already defeated Kansas State once, and it just needs to do so again. But it was a close game the last time the two teams met on Oct. 22.
Kansas State built an 18-point lead midway through the second quarter, and it looked as if TCU could be headed to its first loss in its seventh game of the year. Instead, it scored 28 unanswered points and came away with a 38-28 victory.
The Horned Frogs compiled 495 total yards in that matchup, with junior running back Kendre Miller scoring a pair of second-half rushing touchdowns, including one in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
It wasn't the only time TCU won a close game during the regular season. Eight of its 12 victories have come by 10 or fewer points. And with each one, the team has built more confidence.
"I feel like it shocked lot of people, like even people on our team, that we were going to do this good, me included," Miller said, per Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press.
It's been an impressive turnaround in Sonny Dykes' first season as TCU head coach. The Horned Frogs had won seven or fewer games in each of the previous four years.
Now, TCU is one win away from a CFP berth. However, Kansas State is trying to play spoiler. The Wildcats haven't won a Big 12 title since earning a share of it in 2012, and they haven't been the outright conference champion since 2003.
Kansas State is also seeking revenge after what happened last time vs. TCU.
"I was sick after that game," Wildcats center Hayden Gillum said, per Hawkins. "It was probably one of the harder losses in the year. … We know we owe these guys one."
If TCU loses, it may not make it to the CFP, especially if it loses to Kansas State in lopsided fashion. There's a chance the selection committee could then put in Ohio State (11-1). But there would surely be some who believe the Horned Frogs were more deserving than the Buckeyes, which didn't make it to the Big Ten Championship Game after losing to Michigan.
However, TCU has had such a knack for finding ways to win this year that there's a good chance it will take care of business against Kansas State.
