College Football Insider: TCU's thumping of Gophers no fluke

Texas Christian went 4-8 last year, which added to the disappointment when the Gophers lost 30-7 at TCU on Sept. 13. But the better TCU plays, the better that loss looks.

Few things could make the 6-2 Gophers feel better about last week's collapse at Illinois. But when it comes time to judge Minnesota's bowl resume, that lopsided game in Fort Worth, Texas, shouldn't hurt them at all.

The Horned Frogs (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) debuted at No. 7 this week in the first College Football Playoff rankings. They toppled Oklahoma and Oklahoma State before routing Texas Tech last week 82-27 in a game that left Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury touting TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin as the Heisman front-runner.

TCU travels to West Virginia, 20th in the playoff rankings, on Saturday, in a game that is bringing ESPN's "College GameDay" to Morgantown. And next week, TCU returns home to face ninth-ranked Kansas State.

If the Horned Frogs win those two games, they could be in the driver's seat to win the Big 12, which features a nine-game, round-robin format and no conference title game. TCU's only loss was a 61-58 heartbreaker to No. 12 Baylor. The Frogs led that one 58-37 with about 11 minutes remaining before Baylor came roaring back.

Baylor stumbled the next week against West Virginia, and the Bears still have to play Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

Like the Big Ten, the Big 12 faces the possibility of getting left out entirely when the four-team College Football Playoff pairings are announced Dec. 7. But for now, TCU is positioned pretty well as a one-loss team.

TCU went 77-13 over seven seasons in the Mountain West before making the leap to the Big 12 two years ago, just when West Virginia made the move from the Big East.

It's uncanny how similar the transition went for both programs. They posted identical records in 2012 — 7-6 overall, 4-5 Big 12. And they posted identical records again last year — 4-8 and 2-7. Naturally, their head-to-head matchups went to overtime both years, with each team notching a win.

Patterson's teams have always been built on defense, but after two years in the Big 12, he knew he had to soup up his offense. He hired two new offensive coordinators, including Texas Tech's Sonny Cumbie, to help install an up-temp, no-huddle attack.

It was still a work in progress when TCU played the Gophers. Boykin passed for 258 yards and rushed for 92 more in that win. But the score was 24-0 at halftime, and Patterson was frustrated when Minnesota held TCU to two field goals in the second half.

Now, TCU leads the nation in scoring offense, at 50.4 points per game. Boykin ranks third in the nation in total offense (382.9 yards per game). He has 24 touchdowns — 21 passing, three rushing — with just three interceptions.

Patterson isn't handing out any trophies yet. Even after scoring points on 14 of 16 possessions against Texas Tech, he insisted he wasn't satisfied.

"We still had to kick four field goals," he said.

If the Horned Frogs keep piling up points, and avoid another stunning defensive collapse like the Baylor game, Patterson could have this team back in the Rose Bowl. And this time, that game is a national semifinal.

• The Big Ten West looked a lot less wide open last week, with Nebraska and Wisconsin establishing themselves as the two teams to beat. They will meet Nov. 15 in Madison. The premier Big Ten East showdown comes one week earlier, when Ohio State travels to Michigan State.

• Iowa was tied atop the West with the Gophers before getting beat by Maryland 38-31. The Hawkeyes had a bye to hit the reset button before facing Northwestern this week, followed by the Gophers on Nov. 8. Iowa linebacker Reggie Spearman drew a two-game suspension for a drunken driving charge, and promising freshman wide receiver Derrick Willies is transferring.

1. Michigan State (7-1, 4-0): The Spartans continue making a mockery of their hated in-state rival from Ann Arbor.

2. Ohio State (6-1, 3-0): The Buckeyes play Illinois this week, tuning up for their Nov. 8 showdown at Michigan State.

3. Nebraska (7-1, 3-1): The Huskers are allowing 123.8 yards rushing per game, down from 156.2 last season.

4. Wisconsin (5-2, 2-1): Everything clicked in the 52-7 win over Maryland. Was it a mirage or a sign of things to come?

5. Gophers (6-2, 3-1): Defense still must face Ohio State (44.3 points a game), Nebraska (41.1) and Wisconsin (37.1)

7. Penn State (4-3, 1-3): A frenzied white-out crowd helped an underdog squad push Ohio State to OT last week.

8. Maryland (5-3, 2-2): Needed a last-minute TD to avoid getting shut out in that loss last week in Madison.

9. Northwestern (3-4, 2-2): Wildcats defense needs to rediscover the mojo it had in the Oct. 4 upset over Wisconsin.

10. Rutgers (5-3, 1-3): Gary Nova is questionable due to a knee injury, lessening this week's challenge for Wisconsin.

11. Michigan (3-5, 1-3): Things are spiraling in Ann Arbor, but this team can't lose to Indiana. Right? No, really?

13. Illinois (4-4, 1-3): The win over Minnesota quieted fan unrest toward Tim Beckman. For now, at least.

14. Indiana (3-4, 0-3): Junior tailback Tevin Coleman still leads the nation in rushing with 170.3 yards per game.