TCU football vs. West Virginia Mountaineers: Kickoff time, TV, line, prediction
TCU coach Gary Patterson had a simple assessment of his team during the Big 12 teleconference on Monday.
“We’re just a small fraction away from being the team that we want to be,” Patterson said.
He’s not wrong. TCU has lost five games by one score or less. If things fall in the Frogs’ favor, maybe they’re in the mix for reaching the Big 12 championship game going into the regular-season finale against West Virginia on Friday.
Instead, TCU will be fighting for bowl eligibility in the finale for the second straight season. Last year, the Frogs clinched a bowl berth by knocking off Oklahoma State. This year it must get by a West Virginia team that has won a couple Big 12 road games at Kansas and at Kansas State.
“[The players] all know what’s on the line and what we need to do,” Patterson said.
Here’s what you need to know going into it:
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 3:15 p.m. Friday
Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth
TV: ESPN (Mark Neely, Mike Golic Jr., Dr. Jerry Punch)
Radio: WBAP 820 AM, KTCU 88.7 FM, Sirius 137, XM 200 (Brian Estridge, John Denton, Landry Burdine)
Spanish Radio: KFZO 99.1 FM (Miguel Cruz, Elvis Gallegos)
The line: TCU by 12 1/2 (over/under 46 1/2)
GOING BOWLING?
If TCU wins, it’ll be bowl eligible for the 17th time in Patterson’s 19 seasons. Where would be the most likely destination?
Most experts project the Frogs to play in either the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31 in Memphis, or the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Dec. 30 in Dallas.
ATTENDING THE GAME
Tickets: Available starting at $40 ($20 for groups of 20 or more). May be purchased on school’s website or at the Parrish Family Athletics Ticket Office in Schollmaier Arena beginning at 9:15 a.m. through halftime on Friday.
Gates: Open at 1:15 p.m. with concession stands offering “happy hour” prices including $5 beers. Fans entering the east side of the stadium are encouraged to arrive early to avoid long lines at the gates.
Parking: Lots open five hours before kickoff (10:15 a.m.). A free parking lot (that doesn’t allow tailgating) is located at Doxology Bible Church (4805 Arborlawn Drive, 929 spots) with shuttle service beginning three hours prior to kickoff.
Ride share (Uber, Lyft, etc): Pick up and drop off is at University Baptist Church at the corner of Wabash Avenue and McPherson Avenue, northeast of the stadium.
Taxis are allowed to pick up and drop off at the corner of Stadium Drive and Bellaire Drive North, southeast of the stadium.
Frog Alley: Has moved because of the east-side stadium construction. It’s now in front of Schollmaier Arena.
Frog Alley is open three hours before kickoff (12:15 p.m.) with the team arriving for the “Frog Walk” 2.5 hours before (12:45 p.m.). The marching band will perform one hour before kickoff (2:15 p.m.).
DID YOU KNOW?
TCU is playing on Black Friday for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and has won the previous three (2015 vs. Baylor; 2016 at Texas; and 2017 vs. Baylor). ... TCU and Patterson is 4-3 against West Virginia since joining the Big 12 in 2012. ... TCU is encouraging fans to wear “black” to “black out” the stadium on Black Friday. ... WVU coach Neal Brown is in his first year in the Big 12 as head coach. Patterson has gone 2-1 against the Big 12’s new coaches so far this season, winning against KU’s Les Miles and Texas Tech’s Matt Wells but falling to Kansas State’s Chris Klieman.
PREDICTION
TCU has more at stake in this game with bowl eligibility on the line. The Frogs pull away late for a 10-point victory. TCU 34, West Virginia 24.
