The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs will officially kick off their 2024 football season with an away game against the University of Stanford Cardinal on Friday at 9:30 p.m. CT.
The Horned Frogs and Cardinal have met three times in the past, with TCU coming away with the victory in every one of the matchups so far, according to TCU Athletics.
Friday’s matchup is the first time the two schools have played since the 2017 season, during which TCU prevailed with a 39-37 win in the Alamo Bowl despite trailing 21-3 to begin the game.
TCU is currently favored to win the game against the Cardinal with the spread set at 8.5 points and the over/under set at 61.5 total points between the two teams, according to ESPN Bet.
This game could quickly become a shootout due to a Cardinal defense that struggled throughout the 2023 season, ranking as the 132nd out of 133 FBS schools in points allowed per game at 37.7 and 126th in yards per play allowed at 6.57, per the Associated Press.
During the 2023 season, the TCU defense was slightly better than Stanford’s but still ranked in the lower half of FBS teams, allowing 408.3 yards per game and 27.8 points in a more difficult conference.
However, neither team will have a dominant defense during the 2024 season, which could result in many high-scoring shootouts all year.
Both TCU and Stanford had a record of 1-4 in their last five games dating back to last year, yet the Horned Frogs had a slightly better overall record than the Cardinal during the 2023 season.
TCU finished the year with an overall record of 5-7, including a record of 3-6 in the Big 12, while Stanford managed a record of just 3-9 and a 2-7 conference record in their final season as a member of the Pacific-12 conference.
The Horned Frogs are looking to bounce back following a disappointing 2023 season, which came on the heels of a run to the National Championship in head coach Sonny Dykes’ first season with the program.
Just 11 players from the 2021 TCU football team, the year prior to Dykes’ debut with the program, will remain on the team throughout the 2024 season, per TCU Athletics.
