Newly ranked Arizona went to Texas Tech last weekend. Despite jumping out to a halftime lead, the Wildcats were unable to hold on and fell 34-26. After a crazy weekend in college football, Arizona remains in the top 25 and will have a chance to bounce back with a win against the TCU Horned Frogs. TCU is 2-3 in the Big 12, but has won two of their last three games. They are coming off a 22-16 win over Kansas in their last game. Quarterback Jaden Craig only threw for 141 yards, but rushed for another 87 yards and 1 touchdown. Craig has been improving as the season has progressed. In the two games prior to Kansas, he threw for a combined 666 and three touchdowns against Baylor and West Virginia. TCU will need Craig at his best against the Wildcats' high-powered offense.
Arizona has gone under the radar as a very good team this season. Their offense, led by quarterback Noah Fifita, is averaging 455.6 total yards per game, ranking 17th nationally. Fifita is one of the best quarterbacks in college football, averaging 324.1 passing yards per game. This number ranks him 6th nationally. Fifita’s favorite target, Isaiah Mizell, has recorded three consecutive 100-yard games and has accumulated 499 receiving yards and four touchdowns during that span. Arizona’s offense will be tested against TCU’s defense. The Horned Frogs still have not allowed a team to score more than 21 points against them this season. They have been particularly solid against the pass, only allowing 174.6 passing yards per game, 5th best in college football. TCU has held opponents to a 53.6% completion percentage, an opponent third down-conversion rate of 31.4%, and have only allowed 4.56 yards per play. All of these numbers rank within the top 20 of their respective categories. With Craig continuing to improve on offense, TCU has a good opportunity to be competitive in this game. I’ll take the Horned Frogs to keep it within a touchdown.
TCU vs Arizona prediction: TCU +9.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at +8 (-110).
