TCU football vs. Arkansas in the Texas Bowl: Kickoff time, TV, line, prediction
TCU football is bowling once again.
The Horned Frogs had a rare winter without a bowl game last year, just the third season that ended without a bowl appearance in the Gary Patterson era. The Frogs returned to bowl status this year by going 6-4 and will face the Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC in the Texas Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve (Thursday) at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
Patterson said it’s always an enjoyable experience to be in a bowl game, particularly after a season that had as many hurdles and challenges as the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Patterson will be looking to get over the .500-mark against SEC teams as he’s 3-3 against them in his career. In bowl games, Patterson has an 11-6 record.
With that being said, here’s everything you need to know going into it:
The details
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
Records: TCU (6-4, 5-4 Big 12), Arkansas (3-7, 3-7 SEC)
TV: ESPN (Jason Benetti, Andre Ware, Dawn Davenport)
Radio: WBAP/820 AM (Brian Estridge, John Denton, Landry Burdine)
Spanish Radio: KFZO/99.1 FM (Miguel Cruz, Elvis Gallegos)
The line: TCU by 5 (over/under 57), per VegasInsider.com’s consensus line on Monday
Did you know?
TCU and Arkansas are meeting for the 71st time. Arkansas owns the all-time series record 43-25-2. ... The programs last met during a home-and-home series in 2016-17 with TCU and Arkansas each winning the road matchup. Arkansas won 41-38 in double-overtime in 2016 in Fort Worth, while TCU won 28-7 in Fayetteville in 2017. Prior to those games, the schools hadn’t played since 1991 when both were members of the old Southwest Conference (Arkansas left following the ‘91 season). ... TCU is 2-0 all-time at NRG Stadium. The Frogs defeated Iowa State 27-24 in the 2005 Houston Bowl and Houston 20-13 in the 2007 Texas Bowl. ... TCU is 17-16-1 in bowl games, including 11-6 under Patterson. ... TCU will play nine of its 11 games this season in the state of Texas (six home games, road games at Texas and Baylor, and the Texas Bowl in Houston).
Prediction
Patterson notches another victory over an SEC program. The Frogs are playing well, winning five of their last six games, and continue that trend by establishing the run once again. TCU has the best rushing attack in the Big 12, and true freshman Zach Evans ends his first year with a big-time game in his hometown. TCU 31, Arkansas 20
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 11:45 AM.
