Week one of the college football season is here. TCU plays Stanford and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview and betting odds ahead of the match up.
GAME INFO
Friday, Aug. 30; 9:30 p.m. (CT); Stanford Stadium; Palo Alto, Calif.
TV: ESPN
TCU vs. Stanford betting odds: TCU -11; over/under 61.5 (Action Network).
Records: TCU 5-7 (in 2023); Stanford 3-9 (in 2023).
Last Week: Season opener for both teams.
Series History: TCU leads series, 3-0.
Last Meeting:Â TCU def. 39-37 (Dec. 28 , 2017, at San Antonio, Texas).
Fun Fact:Â Both Dykes and Taylor have called the Bay Area home, though Taylor is a Rancho Cordova, Calif., product and Dykes matriculated in California while he was the head coach at Cal from 2013-16. Taylor, meanwhile, played at Cal and was a fourth-round NFL draft pick in 1990. Later, he coached at his alma mater as an assistant from 1996-2000.
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KEY PLAYERS
Stanford
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
QB Ashton Daniels: The junior took his lumps last year with the Cardinal, but under Taylor’s offensive changes he had a fine year. Daniels threw for 2,247 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 296 yards and three touchdowns. This season should represent a chance for Daniels to make a big jump statistically on an offense that has seven returning starters. Taylor spent the offseason further tweaking the scheme for his budding star.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
LB Gaethan Bernadel: The senior had a breakthrough season a year ago and was a third-team All-Pac-12 selection in a talented conference on that side of the ball. He led the team in solo tackles (45), assisted tackles (42), and total tackles (87). He also ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in total tackles and tackles per game. If the Cardinal are going to take a leap defensively this season, Bernadel will have to lead the way.
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TCU
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
WR Savion Williams: Whoever the quarterback is in Fort Worth (and it’s Josh Hoover’s job to start with), Williams will be the passing game’s top target. Last season he was named honorable mention All-Big 12 selection after he caught 41 passes for 573 yards and four touchdowns. The receptions and yardage were significant improvements from the 2022 season, when he was a piece of the puzzle as the Horned Frogs reached the College Football Playoff national championship game.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
S Bud Clark: It seems like Clark has been in Fort Worth forever. He’s entering his fifth season with TCU. Last year he was a team captain and he finished with 33 tackles and five pass-breakups. He led the Horned Frogs with three interceptions. The year before Clark led the Horned Frogs with five interceptions. That season he was honorable mention All-Big 12. This season, which should be his final with the Horned Frogs, he hopes to lift the TCU defense and prepare himself for the NFL scouting process.
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KEY STORYLINES
Stanford
Taylor’s first head-coaching job was at Sacramento State, where he turned the Hornets into one of the top FCS programs in the country. His Bay Area ties are what led the Cardinal to hire him to replace David Shaw after the 2022 season. Taylor has talent, but last year the program ranked No. 110 in scoring offense (20.6 ppg) and No. 129 in scoring defense (37.2). The improvement needs to start there as Stanford prepares for its first season in the ACC, which includes back-to-back trips in league play to Syracuse and Clemson.
TCU
The world knew the Horned Frogs would take a step back after the magic of 2022, as TCU became the first Big 12 team to win a CFP playoff game. But this was a significant step back, one that coach Sonny Dykes believes, at times, his team simply wasn’t prepared for. This time around the Horned Frogs look like they’re moving in the right direction after failing to make a bowl game. But, Dykes shook things up on the defensive side by hiring former Boise State coach Andy Avalos to direct that unit. It’s a big change and it may take time for TCU’s defenders to adjust.
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PREDICTION: Stanford 38, TCU 31
This feels like a recipe for a road loss to start the season for the Horned Frogs. Friday night game. A cool night (most likely) in Palo Alto. A Cardinal team that most are looking upon as one that will have another bad season. Stanford is being picked last in the ACC by some experts. TCU’s defense is likely to have some issues in their first live action with a new scheme. Breakdowns could be the different late.
