The dream of reaching the season-ending College Football Playoff is still very much alive for the TCU Horned Frogs after they recorded an emphatic 21-point win over the Kansas State Wildcats last Saturday. They can further boost their stock when they take on the Kansas Jayhawks, who are fresh off their first victory in six games, on Saturday.
Can the Jayhawks keep it close and come through for those looking to take the 28.5 point spread? Can TCU cover another massive spread? Read on for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Clemson vs. Georgia Tech and Florida State vs. Miami.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]TCU Horned Frogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview
Where: Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium, Lawrence
When: Saturday, November 15, 2014, 3:00 PM ET
Line: TCU Horned Frogs (-28.5) at Kansas Jayhawks (+28.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the TCU Horned Frogs
Don’t look now but the TCU Horned Frogs have barged into fourth place in the College Football Playoff rankings by virtue of their commanding win over the Kansas State Wildcats last Saturday. The Horned Frogs led from start to finish in their 41-20 demolition of K-State as they took the all-important victory.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Trevone Boykin spearheaded the Horned Frogs’ charge as he completed 23 of 34 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown in addition to his 123 rushing yards and three scores in a superb all-around performance. His exploits helped the Horned Frogs record their fourth-consecutive victory and leave them in perfect shape to grab one of the four coveted slots in the season-ending Playoff.
TCU needs to make sure, though, that they win all their remaining games which is not a totally far-fetched idea considering that all of those games come against teams with losing records.
The Jayhawks are only 94th in passing defense in the FBS this season, allowing 249.1 yards per game. That’s music to the ears of Boykin who has been on a tear this year. He is 14th among starting quarterbacks in the passing department, averaging 299.0 yards per game with a total of 23 touchdowns.
He has powered the Horned Frogs to the eighth-best passing offense in the nation with an impressive 322.9 YPG clip. With that being said, TCU will need to watch out for complacency as they have proven in the past that they let their guards down when facing weaker opponents.
Case in point: their last road game against West Virginia. They were oh-so-close to being upset by the Mountaineers if not for a last-gasp Jaden Oberkrom field goal that gave them a one-point victory. With the stakes now higher than ever, the Horned Frogs will need to dominate the Jayhawks offensively to avoid any more slip-ups. They are third in the FBS in scoring, averaging 47.2 points per game this season.
TCU is 2-1 ATS on the road this season.
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Betting on the Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks heaved a huge sigh of relief after finally snapping their five-game losing streak with a convincing 34-14 win over the Iowa State Cyclones last Saturday.
Michael Cummings threw for 278 yards and accounted for two touchdowns as he led the Jayhawks to just their second Big 12 win in the last four years. They will have their work cut out for them, though, if they want to make it two wins in a row as they will next face the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs.
In order for them to score the shocking upset, they will need to stop TCU’s formidable running game which rushed for 334 yards against Kansas State. Even Trevone Boykin joined in the act, rushing for a career-high 123 yards. Boykin has emerged as a dual-threat quarterback this season as he is fourth in the FBS in the total offense department with a solid 359.7 YPG clip.
The Jayhawks, however, proved against Iowa State that they have the means to stop any opposing team’s ground game. They limited the Cyclones to just 98 rushing yards, far below their season average of 186.6 yards allowed per game. Of course, the Horned Frogs are a much different animal compared to the Cyclones. TCU is 22nd in the FBS in rushing offense this year with a 227.4 YPG mark.
What was most impressive about Kansas’ win last Saturday, however, was their marked improvement on offense. The Jayhawks accumulated a season-best 514 yards of offense against the Cyclones, 228 of which came on the ground as Corey Avery and Tony Pierson both hit the century mark. Cummings has been solid in orchestrating the offense for the Jayhawks as well, posting an impressive 5:1 touchdown to interception ratio in their last three games.
Their improved play can be attributed to interim head coach Clint Bowen who has steered the team to a 3-2 ATS record since replacing Charlie Weis back in September. Their good form will serve them in good stead ahead of their clash with TCU. Although they have lost to the Horned Frogs in each of the last two seasons, they have covered the spread in both of those games, staying within 20-6 as 20-point underdogs back in 2012 and 27-17 as 24 1/2-point underdogs last year.
Kansas is 3-2 ATS at home this season.
Writer’s Prediction
TCU (-28.5) trounces Kansas, 52-21.
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