The TCU Horned Frogs and the Kansas State Wildcats meet Saturday in college football action from Bill Snyder Family Stadium. TCU last played over the weekend in a matchup with BYU. The 4-3 Frogs ended up with a blowout victory there. As for Kansas State, they took on Texas Tech last Saturday. In that one the Wildcats moved to 4-2 overall with a 17-point victory. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

TCU Horned Frogs 

The Frogs opened up their year with a tough loss to Colorado, falling 45-42. The next three outings were all wins, though: those came 41-6 over Nicholls State, 36-13 versus Houston and 34-17 in the SMU game. TCU would fall back to .500 on the year with losses to West Virginia 24-21 and Iowa State 27-14 in the next two games, however. 

In the BYU matchup last weekend, TCU didn’t have too many issues. The Frogs scored points in every quarter, turning a 31-8 halftime advantage into a 44-11 blowout win. QB Josh Hoover went wild on 439 yards, four scores and two picks. Emani Bailey added 61 rush yards, and John Paul Richardson led the receivers on 104 yards and a TD from six grabs. 

TCU Horned Frogs Team Facts

• TCU has lost each of its last eight games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
• TCU has failed to cover the spread in each of its last six October games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
• TCU has won the first half in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
• Each of TCU’s last four road games against conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.

Kansas State Wildcats 

Over on the Kansas State side, they started out on an offensive tear with big wins over Southeast Missouri State 45-0 and Troy 42-13. The Wildcats took a tough 30-27 road loss to Missouri in game three but then beat UCF 44-31 the next weekend. Game five was another loss however, this time 29-21 versus Oklahoma State. 

The Wildcats took on Texas Tech back on Saturday. In that game Kansas State held a slim three-point lead at the break but ultimately ended up with a win 38-21. Avery Johnson threw for 77 yards along the way, and scored five rushing TDs off 13 carries and 90 yards. Ben Sinnott led the receivers with 72 yards on six grabs. 

Kansas State Wildcats Team Facts

• The underdog has won three of Kansas State’s last four games.
• The favorite has covered the spread in each of Kansas State’s last seven games at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
• Kansas State has won the first half in 12 of its last 14 games against conference opponents.
• Seven of the last eight games between TCU and Kansas State have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

Kansas State rank 26th among FBS teams for points per game this season (35.8).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll probably just stay with TCU in this one. The Frogs had their way on both sides versus BYU—despite posting two turnovers and seven penalties, that is. TCU ended with 584 total yards (447 passing), 6.8 yards per play, 30 first downs and an excellent 12-of-19 rate on third-down tries. On defense the Frogs gave up just 243 yards (152 passing) and 15 first downs while bagging two takeaways. It was a nice return to form after TCU had a tepid 35 combined points in their previous two outings. 

As for Kansas State, they did most of their damage on the ground (272 rush yards) against Texas Tech, taking good care of the ball with zero turnovers and just five penalties. The Wildcats have scored 20 or more points in every game this year, so this one could turn into a fairly high-scoring affair. If they continue to play well, I think TCU can bang out the cover in an entertaining game.