No. 4 TCU has big opportunity vs. Texas, but a familiar face stands in the way

No. 18 Texas represents an opportunity for Sonny Dykes’ No. 4 TCU Horned Frogs. With a win, they could join Tennessee as the only program in the country with five wins against AP Top 25 teams this season.

What’s more? The Horned Frogs would move one step closer to an undefeated season, one step closer to gaining entry into the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Dykes is on the shortlist for Coach of the Year. As a matter of fact, his first season at TCU could end up rivaling any debut by a Power 5 head coach at a new school since Urban Meyer’s first season at Ohio State in 2012.

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The Buckeyes finished 12-0 that season, but a bowl ban kept them from playing for the national championship. TCU suffers no such ban and would like nothing more than to march over hated rival Texas in the process of helping Dykes secure his place in the sport’s 150-plus-year history.

Gary Patterson switches sides in rivalry

Why is this game a big deal? In part, because there’s a statue in front of Amon G. Carter Stadium of Gary Patterson, the man who, as TCU head coach in 2015, answered a question about the Texas offense by saying, “We’ve beaten better with less.”

That same day TCU stomped a mudhole in Texas and walked it dry, 50-7.

Seven years later, Patterson is a Longhorn — special assistant to coach Steve Sarkisian — staring down the prospect of taking a whooping from a team who has beaten better with less.

Whew.

Add to this: Upon Texas (and Oklahoma) announcing an exit from the Big 12 Conference to join the SEC, Texas senator and Texas Christian alumna Lois Kolkhorst used a portion of her time to question UT’s motives by calling out UT President Jay Hartzell for having a losing record against the Horned Frogs while maintaining a $225 million athletic budget.

With just one year left to get their licks in, TCU’s fan base might be more eager than any other to witness a big victory over the Longhorns.

But to earn a win this season they’re going to have to outplay star quarterback Quinn Ewers and running back Bijan Robinson. Between the two Longhorns, there might not be a better QB-RB duo west of the Mississippi River.

At his best, Ewers is capable of beating up on Alabama, something he may have done had he not been knocked out of Texas’ Week 2 game against the Tide.

The league’s two best running backs go at it

Since the one-point loss to Bama, the Longhorns have dropped just two games against Big 12 opponents. Robinson has already rushed for more than 1,100 yards and will likely surpass 200 rushes on the season this weekend.

He’ll be the focus for TCU defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie, who knows that Ewers’ ability to beat them will be predicated on how well Robinson can run the ball. Sarkisian will no doubt have a few creative plays ready to try to counter any aggression the TCU defense shows.

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With games left against Kansas and Baylor in addition to TCU, Texas can still play its way into the Big 12 title game and a New Year’s Six bowl game.

But with Max Duggan and Kendre Miller in the opposing backfield — perhaps the best QB-RB duo most fans don’t know much about — the Texas defense will have its hands full.

Miller went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season in TCU’s comeback win against Texas Tech last week and is expected to get a heavy workload in Garrett Riley’s offense.

It’s conceivable that the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year will come out of this game.

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RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.