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 Monday.
TCU Horned Frogs
National title odds: 100-1 (opened 60-1)
Season win total: 7.5
FPI win total projection: 8.7
Phil Steele
Strengths: TCU goes from No. 113 on my experience chart in 2016 all the way up to No. 4 this year, so it is suddenly a veteran group. I rate their running backs, receivers, offensive line, linebackers, defensive backs and special teams all within my top-26 units in the country.
Weaknesses: While all eight position groups rank in my top units, the biggest question marks are quarterback Kenny Hill's decision-making (17 TDs and 13 interceptions in 2016) and the defensive line. TCU was eighth in the nation last season with 43.0 sacks, but the line now must replace three starters.
Over/under (7.5): Gary Patterson has had three losing seasons in his career, and he followed up his first two with double-digit win seasons. I have the Frogs favored in nine games this year, so I clearly like over 7.5 wins for the season.
National title odds (100-1): The last time TCU made both my most improved list and my surprise team list was 2014, and it just missed making the playoffs, finishing No. 3 in the country. It is one of my prime contenders in the Big 12, and that gives it a legitimate shot to make the playoffs. It has two top-seven finishes the past three years and has great value at 100-1.
"Stanford Steve" Coughlin
Over/under (7.5): The Horned Frogs were so puzzling offensively last year. Kenny Hill had the third-best throwing season in the history of the program, but that included 13 interceptions, which led the Big 12. Additionally, the Horned Frogs receivers dropped the most passes in the country. There's no doubt that TCU gets the benefit of the doubt because of who its head coach is, but I really need to see more from Kenny Hill later in the season, especially in those November games when it hosts Texas and Baylor and goes on the road to play Oklahoma and Texas Tech. There is also a trip to Fayetteville to play Arkansas early in the season, which could be a tricky matchup. With all the talent returning across the Big 12, I just feel that the Horned Frogs will be in the middle of the pack, so I'm thinking the under here.
Chris Fallica
Over/under (7.5): A Gary Patterson team last finished with a losing record in 2013, and the Horned Frogs bounced back the following season to the tune of 12-1 and easily could have been a part of the College Football Playoff. TCU was viewed as a trendy alternative to Oklahoma in the Big 12 in 2016, but never looked right during the season, losing four one-score games and committing a ton of ill-timed turnovers. So if you believe in the theory that turnovers and close-game luck is a one-year blip, TCU could be your team in 2017. Essentially the entire offense returns next year, as do seven starters on defense. However, the road schedule is no joke: at Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Oklahoma. FPI has them at 8.7 wins, and the only game where the Horned Frogs will be a big dog is at OU (19.3 percent). FPI gives TCU better than a 50 percent chance to win every other game on the schedule (50.8 percent at Oklahoma State). If TCU goes 6-0 at home, one would surely think it could find two road wins to reach eight wins for the season.
National title odds (100-1): It's unlikely TCU will win the national title, but at triple-digit odds, there are enough angles to make it worth a flier. Will the CFP Selection Committee leave a Big 12 Champion out for the third time in four years if its close? That could certainly boost the Big 12's chance of making the playoff in 2017.