Revolution - 2011 TCU Football

In a lot of ways, the 2011 Rose Bowl was the end of an era in TCU Football. And I don't just mean that because Andy Dalton is gone. The 21-19 win over Wisconsin was the exclamation point on a statement that Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs had been making for years. All the wins led to a final proclamation that was made on a national stage against a huge opponent from a super-conference. TCU isn't a fluke. They aren't an outlier. They belong. Period.

And the future also looks bright. In 2012, TCU enters the Big East Conference. It is, probably, the weakest of the BCS conferences. But it still has an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl game, something the Frogs have craved since the system was established. It has a television contract with ESPN, and the bias that comes with being on the East Coast.

But one fact remains - we still have to play the 2011 season. In the Mountain West. Without Andy Dalton.

And it's easy to look back on the Rose Bowl or ahead to the Big East. And when you look at the status of the 2011 season, it's easy to overlook it.

The conference is weaker. Utah and BYU are gone. Boise is in, but the conference moved a game that should've been in Fort Worth to the Smurf Turf. And the home games for the Frogs aren't exactly inspiring - Louisiana Monroe, Portland State, SMU, New Mexico, Colorado State, and UNLV.

We have a new quarterback. Casey Pachall was highly recruited, but he doesn't have the experience (and, from what I've read, the work ethic) of Andy Dalton. It will take time to adjust.

We have a lot of new players all over the place. Four of the five starting offensive linemen will be new. And even though Rose Bowl hero Tank Carder is back, the defense is also initiating new members. For the first time in a while, TCU fans will have to simply "Trust in Gary" that the defense will be good again.

And then there's the first two games of the season. The Frogs start out in Waco against Baylor. TCU has owned the Bears in recent years, but this one feels different. This time Baylor has the hyped QB in Robert Griffin III, who seemed really insulted by TCU in our game last season. It's the first game of his last season, and I'm sure he'll be looking to make a statement. Then we go to Air Force, a place where we've struggled in bad and good years.

There's a good chance that TCU comes home for it's first home game since the Rose Bowl 0-2. Which could set a horrible tone for the whole season.

I'm not really sure what to expect. I could see TCU running the table again. Beat Baylor and Air Force, and the rest of the schedule sets up well. You don't play BYU until late October, and you get Boise in November. If Pachall gets wins in his first two games, he could start building confidence to win the big ones down the stretch.

But I could also see losing four games this season and ending up in some random bowl game. I don't think the team will miss out on a bowl like they did in 2004, but I suppose it's possible.

So it's easy to get hungover from 2010 or look forward to 2012. But the below video helps keep me focused on the task at hand. There are great players on this team, great coaches on the sidelines, and a bright future on the horizon. The schedule isn't crazy, and we have the Rose Bowl trophy in our case. Go out there and keep it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DfUXt3Mq_Aj8&sa=U&ei=pWVWTsHPDtTF0AGditDLDA&ved=0CBUQtwIwAQ&usg=AFQjCNFUOQtxCt03flys7DuchBYmjVrrMw