Anonymous Big 12 coach doubts TCU's chances to return to College Football Playoff

TCU had a magical run to the College Football Playoff last season as the Horned Frogs appeared in the national title game. However, while that result set them up for more success in the future, one coach in the Big 12 doesn’t think that it will be in this upcoming season.

In Athlon Sports’ annual college football preview, one anonymous league coach shared their doubts in TCU’s chances of returning to the CFP anytime soon. In their eyes, a massive part is, obviously, the loss of QB Max Duggan and his talents, the ones that helped drag the Horned Frogs across the finish line at times, now residing in Los Angeles with the Chargers.

“There’s no way to re-create that with as many guys as they’ve lost,” said the anonymous coach. “(Max) Duggan is a huge loss for them. He made that offense work better than it should have a lot of times. Honestly, he just made things happen when plays broke and overcame some of their deficiencies. With him, it’s bigger than just replacing a QB.”

Duggan took a heavy helping of what made TCU great last season with him to the NFL. The Heisman finalist put up heroic, career-best numbers throughout the year with 3,698 passing yards and 32 touchdowns on 63.7% completion.

Still, while they don’t see it in 2023, the coach went on to say that Sonny Dykes’ triumphant first season in Forth Worth has changed the program’s trajectory. Now, with how they can recruit moving forward, they believe that the spotlight in the Big 12 will shift solely to them once realignment is complete.

“They can’t repeat what they did last year, but they’re set up pretty strong for the future of this league,” the coach continued. “They’re recruiting the state of Texas at a different level. That’s why Sonny’s a success. He didn’t waste that playoff run at all. They’re probably the best brand in the league moving forward.”

We’ll have to wait and see what TCU can make of this next season after going 13-2 and being fresh off a national championship appearance. Even so, while it might not happen immediately, there looks to be optimism in what the Horned Frogs can continue to accomplish in the years to come.

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Athlon Sports projects Big 12’s order of finish in 2023

The 2023 season is set to be unlike any other in Big 12 history. It will mark the arrival of four new teams in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. However, it will also be the final year that Oklahoma and Texas are members before joining the SEC.

The Sooners and Longhorns have combined to win 17 Big 12 championships since 1996. Neither team competed in the conference title game in 2021 or 2022. Even so, they enter 2023 hoping for one last victory lap before saying goodbye to the league.

Athlon Sports certainly likes their chances of doing so this fall, though. They predict that OU and Texas will meet in the Big 12 Championship Game in their 2023 standings projection. The media outlet has the Longhorns defeating the Sooners in the final Big 12 title matchup between the two.

You can view the full prediction from Athlon Sports on what the 2023 Big 12 order of finish will look like below.

1. Texas Longhorns(11-2, 8-1)
2. Oklahoma Sooners (9-4, 6-3)
3. Kansas State Wildcats (8-4, 6-3)
4. TCU Horned Frogs (8-4, 5-4)
5. Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5, 5-4)
6. Kansas Jayhawks (7-5, 4-5)
7. Baylor Bears (7-5, 4-5)
8. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-5, 4-5)
9. UCF Knights (6-6, 4-5)
10. Iowa State Cyclones (6-6, 4-5)
11. BYU Cougars (6-6, 4-5)
12. Houston Cougars (6-6, 3-6)
13. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-7, 3-6)
14. West Virginia Mountaineers (4-8, 3-6)