Frogs may be headed to Houston

After an impressive comeback against San Diego State last week, TCU appears headed to the Texas Bowl to play former Southwest Conference rival Houston. Pardon me if I'm not inspired by this match up. Houston has had a solid year, winning eight games. But it's hard to get too excited about playing a Conference USA team. TCU left that conference for one with a better football reputation -- and stiffer competition. The Mountain West has many problems, beginning with a significant exposure problem. But the fact that Houston can be seen on ESPN doesn't make it a better football team. Its administrators are just less gullible.

Miles should stay at LSU

It's difficult to comprehend how a coach chasing a national championship could jump to another team at the end of the season. But it's a real possibility, with LSU's Les Miles expected to be heavily courted by Michigan, his alma mater. This would be a bad move for Miles, who will have a better chance of building a championship legacy in the SEC. But the lure of coaching at one's alma mater is not easy to resist.
It can be done, however. Ask TCU's Gary Patterson, who stayed in Fort Worth instead of jumping to Kansas State in 2005. Kansas State is a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 school that has enjoyed some success. And although Michigan is a consistent national power, Miles might find it a tougher place to coach than he imagined. For now, he's better off at LSU, which happens to be No. 1 in the country.

One more win

An impressive win over UNLV puts TCU in a position to make a bowl game with a road win Saturday. While not a sure thing, a win appears likely. Dan Diego State is not a very good football team. The Frogs have suffered through a tough season -- with key injuries and the illness of Tommy Blake. A bowl berth, even if it's just the New Mexico Bowl, would be a nice way to end 2007.

Even after impressive win, bowl is uncertain

TCU began showing signs Saturday that it is things around. The Frogs dominated New Mexico, holding the Lobos to 28 yards rushing and 91 yard passing. The 37-0 win was TCU's second shutout of the season. The TCU defense is back. And it's a good thing, with BYU next on the schedule. The Cougars are undefeated in the Mountain West and a virtual lock to win the title. Thursday's game is particularly important because TCU may not make a bowl game without a win. Even with the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, the Frogs are hurt by the success of Air Force -- and their record against teams that appear headed to bowl games. Saturday's victory over the 6-win Lobos was the first time this season they beat a team eligible for the post-season. A victory over the conference-leading Cougars would probably move the Frogs ahead of Air Force, even though they lost in Colorado Springs earlier this season. A loss would drop TCU to 5-5. With the season's final two games against UNLV and San Diego State, TCU would have no more opportunities to sufficiently impress the Armed Forces Bowl selection committee.

Larry vs. Jerry

I just saw the video of Larry King asking Jerry Seinfeld if his show was canceled. No wonder CNN is losing viewers. Memo to Larry: The show went out on top ... baby. I especially liked how Jerry asked for a resume to help out the lost interviewer.

Blake returns for Frogs

The Frogs will get a boost Saturday with the return of Tommy Blake from that "undisclosed illness" that has kept the star defensive end out much of the season. They'll need all the help they can get against New Mexico. The Lobos are 6-2 after a win last week over Air Force. I started to call it impressive, but the Falcons had several chances to put the game away and failed to do so. Down the stretch, every time Air Force had a chance to pull ahead, it seemed to give the ball away. This is ironic, given the fundamental soundness of the Academy ( a point those Versus announcers mentioned more than once).
At 4-4, TCU cannot afford another home loss if it plans to reach a bowl game. The Armed Forces Bowl is the only hope at this point. Although that would mean playing another game at Amon G. Carter Stadium, after the kind of season the Frogs have had, a home game in December doesn't sound so bad.

New Mexico at TCU, 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the mtn.
Frogs for the Cure