Air Force TCU Betting – Horned Frogs Try To Remain Atop The Mountain West
The TCU Horned Frogs haven’t been playing great offense, but they’ve definitely been playing extremely good defense in recent weeks. Air Force is TCU’s next test.
NCAA football betting: Air Force Falcons @ TCU Horned Frogs
Online Betting Odds: TCU -18.5
Why To Bet On Air Force
The Falcons, plainly put, were looking ahead to TCU last Saturday. Even though they come from one of America’s service academies, the boys from the United States Air Force can still forget to tend to the present moment. Air Force had been so sharp and focused through the first six weeks of the season that its 27-25 loss at San Diego State should be viewed as an aberration, and not as a true sign of this team’s quality. It’s human nature for a Mountain West Conference club to emphasize a date with TCU on the schedule, and to ignore (and underestimate) San Diego State in the process. With that point in mind, one should definitely expect coach Troy Calhoun to have a very motivated team heading into this game. Air Force has often played at TCU’s Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas; that’s because Air Force has regularly played in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl over the past three seasons. The academy has visited Fort Worth each December to take on California (2007) and Houston (2008 and 2009), so Air Force will be used to the atmosphere in the ballyard and won’t be intimidated at all. As long as the Falcons can maintain possession with their triple-option offense, Air Force can shorten this game and force TCU to play a near-perfect game on offense. The Horned Frogs have not been very consistent on offense this year, so the Falcons have a very realistic chance of keeping this game close well into the fourth quarter, when they can steal one from TCU.
Why To Bet On TCU
The Horned Frogs, for all their inconsistencies on offense, are playing the best brand of defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas is presiding over a unit that has not allowed a touchdown since a Sept. 24 win at Southern Methodist. The Frogs are first in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 9.3 points per contest. Even if the offense is sluggish, TCU not only can, but should, still prevail. Air Force will be hard pressed to score anything more than 17 points, meaning that as long as the Horned Frogs don’t commit multiple turnovers, they should be able to cobble together just enough points to win this game. If TCU’s defense can coax any turnovers from the Falcons, this game could get ugly, and coach Gary Patterson’s players could run away from Air Force in the second half.
How The Game Will Play Out
Air Force will grind out a number of first downs and keep the ball for at least 28 minutes. TCU’s offense won’t be able to dominate the game, but the Horned Frogs’ defense won’t allow the Falcons to score very often. Air Force will hit 17 points, but that’s as high as the underdogs will get. TCU will score 24 points and be happy to take a seven-point win. The Horned Frogs’ offensive inconsistency, though, will prevent them from covering a very high number in this game. Air Force is a good team… just not good enough to win outright.
Air Force TCU Betting Pick: Air Force
