Can TCU Finally Find A Way To Win In Morgantown? Our Staff Makes Their Predictions

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Earlier this week, one of our writers, Seth, described TCU's recent woes against West Virginia as Appalachian Affliction. Since both teams joined the Big 12 in 2012, the TCU Horned Frogs (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) have struggled to find a way to beat the Mountaineers (3-4, 0-4 Big 12).
West Virginia holds an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series against TCU, with all but one of those meetings coming in Big 12 play. TCU has only won three times in Morgantown - 2012, 2014, and 2022.
However, this year, West Virginia is struggling. It is not only one of the worst teams in the conference but also ranks low nationally. They rank 100th in FBS with 354.1 yards per game on offense, and 116th on defense, allowing 416.4 yards per game to their opponent.
So, what does this mean? Our staff feels that TCU will find a way to avert the Appalachian Affliction and come away with a huge win. With a win, TCU will become bowl eligible. Our staff unanimously picked the Frogs. We are predicting a three-score win with our average margin of victory over 17 points. We are also predicting a total of 58 points to be scored between the two teams.
Last week, JD and Carson came the closest. Carson had TCU winning 42-34, while JD had TCU winning 41-35. The actual score was 42-36. Brett, though, still holds the edge on the leaderboard, as he is the only one at 6-1 (thanks to his pick of Kansas State two weeks ago).
Ten of us are at 5-2, with JD at the top of that group with two closest predictions.
Staff Leaderboard after Week Eight
Place | Name | Wins | Losses | Closest | Cumulative Differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brett | 6 | 1 | 3 | 84 |
2 | JD | 5 | 2 | 2 | 105 |
3 | Carson | 5 | 2 | 1 | 114 |
4 | Ryder | 5 | 2 | 1 | 143 |
5 | Nick | 5 | 2 | 0 | 85 |
6 | Ryann | 5 | 2 | 0 | 109 |
7 (tie) | Tori | 5 | 2 | 0 | 110 |
7 (tie) | Zion | 5 | 2 | 0 | 110 |
9 | Davis | 5 | 2 | 0 | 118 |
10 | Mac | 5 | 2 | 0 | 123 |
11 | Nate | 5 | 2 | 0 | 163 |
12 | Ian | 4 | 3 | 0 | 94 |
13 | Barry | 4 | 3 | 0 | 111 |
14 | Andrew | 4 | 3 | 0 | 123 |
15 | Seth* | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
* Writers who joined the staff after Week One
Staff Predictions - The TCU Horned Frogs at the West Virginia Mountaineers

Andrew Bauhs (4-3) - TCU 45-21
Barry Lewis (4-3) - TCU 35-27
Brett Gibbons (6-1, three closest predictions)- TCU 31-17
Carson Wersal (5-2, one closest prediction) - TCU 38-21
Davis Wilson (5-2) - TCU 41-21
Ian Napetian (4-3) - TCU 34-17
JD Andress (5-2; two closest predictions) - TCU 38-20
Mac Walters (5-2) - TCU 42-28
Nate Cross (5-2) - TCU 48-35
Nick Girimonte (5-2) - TCU 36-21
Ryann Zeller (5-2) - TCU 33-20
Ryder Solberg (5-2, one closest prediction) - TCU 38-13
Seth Dowdle* (0-2) - TCU 35-14
Tori Couch (5-2) - TCU 35-14
Zion Trammell (5-2 - TCU 35-14
*Seth joined our team after the season began.
Do you agree with our picks? Let us know what you think the final score will be.
What's Next?
TCU travels to Morgantown to take on West Virginia on Saturday, October 25, at 5 pm CT. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
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Barry is the managing editor/publisher of TCU Horned Frogs On SI and oversees a team of 15+ writers, photographers, and podcasters covering all 22 of TCU’s sports. He writes on football, basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, men’s tennis, and other sports as needed. His weekly articles include Big 12 Power Rankings and Poll Watching during the football, basketball, and baseball seasons. He is a frequent guest on one of the many podcasts that TCU Horned Frogs On SI writers host covering football, baseball, basketball, and other sports. Barry is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He has represented TCU Horned Frogs On SI at the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the 2023 College Football National Championship, the 2023 College World Series, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis National Championship, Big 12 Football Media Days, and Big 12 Basketball Media Days. Barry has followed TCU sports since the Jim Wacker days. He is an avid sports fan and traveler, and he loves any opportunity to see a sporting event in person. He has been to 18 of the 30 MLB ballparks, experienced game day at 25 college football stadiums, seen 21 NFL stadiums, and been to 16 bowl games.
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