re: How Would TCU Finish This Year If They Were In The SEC?

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Patterson is an amazing coach. One of his idols is Nick Saban, and he uses Saban's ideology on toughness and grit. You'll hear him during the spring, talking about Nick Saban and Alabama. About how if you want to be like Alabama, you have to endure like Alabama. Be tough like Alabama. Be focused like Alabama.

Dude puts the Crimson Tide on a pedestal.

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Sounds like it, but those things he supposedly mentioned aren't why Alabama is Alabama.

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he doesn't get the star players

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Looks like he missed the whole point. You can do everything Alabama does except this and you won't be shite.

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His philosophy is to out-tough the other team. In most cases, they do. Even if they lose.

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Yes, a lot of coaches have that philosophy. Probably most of the coaches throughout football history have had that philosophy. Les Miles has that philosophy and it got him five straight losses to Alabama, multiple losses every year to teams with less talent and an unceremonious firing. The 1970s are over, unless you can get talent that is vastly superior to every other team in the country, which Alabama somehow does, yet still loses at least one game a year to a team with inferior talent.

Except, of course, that TCU had more rushing attempts than Bama did. And their run-to-pass percentage is roughly the same.

Granted, Alabama was more effective at running the ball against Fresno than we did against Arkansas. And Alabama is the premiere program in America, and we're just a team that plays hard-nosed football.

But I can see the influence.

Conditioning wise, Ole Miss absolutely wilted against us in the Peach Bowl. Arkansas struggled, as well.

The strength program at TCU is outstanding. Not Bama outstanding, but it's pretty damn good.

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Looks like he missed the whole point. You can do everything Alabama does except this and you won't be shite.

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Except they do win a number of games. I wouldn't say TCU is shite -- they're certainly good enough to beat SEC teams and have -- but everyone knows that programs like Alabama and LSU are the cream of the crop. We'll never be that -- and we know it -- so we have to play to our strengths.

What we don't do is act like we're on the level of the premiere teams in the SEC, when it's obvious that certain schools in your conference are not. We don't want to follow in those footsteps, because all that ever seems to do is get schools caught for cheating or imploding once the meat of the SEC schedule hits them.

TCU will never be on your level. But we might grab a game or two, and certainly trounce the pretenders in your conference. As we've done in the past.

Eleventy

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I have seen Bama and will see Bama lose to lesser talent so let's not act like talent alone is why Bama is great.

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Talent is about 95% of it. And I don't understand why sometimes losing to less talented teams means their talent level isn't why they're a great team. Superior talent should win and usually does. The fact that a coach with superior talent gets outcoached sometimes and loses to a team with less talent doesn't mean his superior talent isn't the main reason for his success.

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Saban with 3 and 4 star recruits instead of 4 and 5 would win the SEC more years than not

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No, he would not. He's had nothing but 4-5 star talent at LSU and Alabama and has won 7 SEC titles in 16+ seasons, two of which (2001 and 2015) he needed extreme luck in the form of other teams losing other games (including the wildest 4th-and-25 conversion in decades) just to win his division. Reduce the talent level, and his titles would go down.

I think TCU could be competitive anywhere but I see them being more of an Arkansas/FL type team who wins the sec once in a while.

OU on the other hand would be Big 2 with Bama. Perennial contenders with stability.

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How Would TCU Finish This Year If They Were In The SEC?

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This year? (7-5) - (9-3) depending upon which division and who they were matched up with non-conference wise.

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Also, how would this answer change if TCU went into Stillwater and knocked off OkState who many of the pundits believe is the second best team in the Big12 this year?

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No, and I like Oklahoma State this year too. Much like the Big 12 sans Oklahoma, they don't play defense though.

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Where would you rank Oklahoma this year if they were in the SEC?

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1 or 2. I'd love to see them play Alabama. I'd actually bet on OU winning.

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Finally, if you could trade out a team in the SEC and take one from the Big12, who would it be?

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Missouri for Kansas - just for laughs.

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Well, let's see. TCU hasn't beaten A&M in over 40 years so...

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Well, let's see. Texas A&M hasn't played TCU, ever, while they were a good team under Patterson so...

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Texas A&M hasn't played TCU, ever, while they were a good team under Patterson so

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The last time A&M played a Patterson-coached TCU, they won 28-9.

Plus, Kenny Hill has yet to beat a Power 5 team on Kyle Field.

That was in 2001 when they were a 6-6 team in his 2nd year as HC.

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Plus, Kenny Hill has yet to beat a Power 5 team on Kyle Field.

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So? He's beating P5 teams on their home field at a better program.