With college football season on the horizon, ESPN Chalk's college football experts -- Phil Steele, "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris Fallica -- combine to give you betting previews of the top 25 teams, according to the ESPN College Football Rankings. They break down each team's strengths and weaknesses, along with season win total bets and national title odds.
Odds from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of Sept. 1.
TCU Horned Frogs
National title odds: 6-1
Season win total: 10.5
Phil Steele
Strengths: TCU, which destroyed Ole Miss 42-3 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, returns 15 starters, including Heisman contender QB Trevone Boykin. The Frogs have speed at wide receiver, and the offense is one of the best in the country with 10 starters back. The defense has my No. 6-rated D-line and No. 8 DB unit. TCU also has a schedule where it could be favored in all 12 games this year (currently not a 'dog in any game).
Weaknesses: The LB corps was hit hard by graduation, but last year's starters ran 4.8 and 5.0 in the 40-yard dash and this year's LBs, while less experienced, average in the 4.5 range. TCU left the state of Texas only twice all year, and this year it will have to travel out of state five times.
Over/Under: TCU went 7-0 at home last year, so let's give it home wins across the board this year, including the big game against Baylor. However, with a season win total of 10.5, the Frogs only have wiggle room for one loss. They face Minnesota, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the road, so it will not be easy. But four of my nine sets of power ratings call for TCU to go 12-0, while two call for an 11-1 season and three call for it to go 10-2. I think TCU will be in the playoffs, and am going with the over.
National title odds: TCU is a top-four team and has the schedule to make the playoff. It took three recruiting classes to get up to speed after its move from the Mountain West to the Big 12, and TCU now has four years of experience playing in a power conference. There is still a little value at 6-1 odds, so it's worth a small play.
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
Is there any team in the country that comes into the season with more so-called "momentum" off a bowl win than the Horned Frogs? They have a Heisman candidate in Boykin returning, along with nine other starters on the offensive side of the ball and their head coach Gary Patterson. Plus, they have the motivation of being left out of the first-ever College Football Playoff last year. But that was last year.
When I look at their resume last season, they gave up at least 30 points to Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia and Kansas ... and they only return five starters from that defense. I know Patterson is one of the top defensive minds in college football, but I don't trust Boykin to outscore teams week after week when Big 12 play begins. When people bring up the idea of how the CFP selection committee will handle the Big 12, I have to think the lack of a championship game will still be a problem. Plus, I expect teams like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas to be better than they were last year.
O/U: I love the Horned Frogs program and I've been in their corner for many years, but I see them losing two games. Take the under.
Chris Fallica
I'm not as high on TCU as most people are. Yes, TCU outscored its Power 5 opponents by an FBS-best 24.3 PPG last year, and I know Patterson has built a reputation -- deservedly so -- of fielding great defenses. But he might have his work cut out for him this season. Plus, as well as things went for TCU last season, the Horned Frogs still had a couple of close calls, including against Oklahoma in Fort Worth. TCU may prove me wrong, because the offense is still incredibly talented, but I'm leery this year.
O/U: You know expectations are high in Fort Worth when 10-2 would be seen as a disappointing season for the Horned Frogs. I think there is value on the under, though. They face tough road games with Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and they have the game with Baylor; quite a few landmines to avoid in order to come away with an 11-win season. Remember, this is a team that was unranked to start last year, was a home dog to OU and had five regular-season games where the spread was 7 points or fewer; even Vegas was skeptical.
Title odds: I wouldn't play TCU at 6-1. In addition to the schedule concerns mentioned, the defense loses six starters -- names such as Paul Dawson, Marcus Mallet, Kevin White, Sam Carter and Chris Hackett -- and it's not like TCU has a bunch of four- and five-star recruits to step in and replace them. While the offense will indeed be dynamic, it will have to be -- I think TCU is going to allow more points than most think.