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The next in our series looking at 20 teams who could win it all in 2012 examines TCU.

Colleague Ryan McGee tackled the Frogs (always a treacherous task) and tried to determine their chances.

The biggest reason TCU could win it all? An elite passing game and running game.

[Casey] Pachall returns along with his three top receivers from one year ago -- Josh Boyce, Skye Dawson and Brandon Carter. They are battle-scarred from a season that included more than a few offensive track meets. In other words, this passing game has a chance to be scary good. And they won't get gassed during Big 12 shootouts. ...

If for some reason throwing the ball gets bogged down, then the Frogs' running attack should be more than capable of shouldering the load. TCU is the only team in the nation to return three backs who rushed for 700 yards in 2011.

The biggest reason TCU won't win it all? The defensive backfield and a welcome to the Big 12.

Five of the nation's seven most prolific passing attacks from 2011 are on the Horned Frogs' schedule in 2012, including four in consecutive weeks from October 13 through November 3 (at Baylor, versus Texas Tech, at Oklahoma State, at West Virginia). TCU's pass D better be much improved, or have an offense capable of winning every shootout, if it hopes to survive that stretch.

Want more on the Frogs? Check out the piece. You'll also see a stat projection from Football Outsiders' Brian Fremeau, including the most likely result and the projection window for the best- and worst-case scenario.

2011 overall record: 11-2
2011 conference record: 7-0
Returning starters: offense: 6; defense: 7; kicker/punter: 0

Top returners
QB Casey Pachall, RB Waymon James, DL Stansly Maponga, RB Ed Wesley, RB Matthew Tucker, WR Josh Boyce, LB Kenny Cain, DB Jason Verrett

Key losses
LB Tank Carder, LB Tanner Brock, S Tekerrein Cuba, S Johnny Fobbs, WR Antoine Hicks, S Devin Johnson

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Waymon James* (875 yards)
Passing: Casey Pachall* (2,921 yards)
Receiving: Josh Boyce* (998 yards)
Tackles: Kenny Cain*(72)
Sacks: Stansly Maponga* (9)
Interceptions: Tank Carder, Kris Gardner, Greg McCoy (2, none return)

Spring answers

1. Filling a hole at linebacker: TCU was ready to lose Tank Carder, but the loss of Tanner Brock was unexpected. Thus, TCU entered spring with big questions at linebacker. Danny Heiss and Joel Hasley have stepped in to help fortify a position with a lot to prove in 2012. TCU has a feel for who its guys will be, but are those guys good enough?

2. Beware of the TCU receivers: TCU already felt good about Josh Boyce and Skye Dawson after 2011, but sophomore Brandon Carter is bigger and better this spring. LaDarius Brown may join the fold as a big factor, though. It's not impossible for him to become one of the team's best targets. Casey Pachall has to love adding a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder to his targets, and freshman Kolby Listenbee proved he can contribute right away after enrolling early this spring. He'll play.

3. A change in identity: There's no doubt TCU has big questions on defense, especially at linebacker and in the secondary. But offensively? The Horned Frogs have to shore up the offensive line, but its skill-position players are as deep and as talented as any in the Big 12. It's not often that offense has to carry the load for a Gary Patterson team, but it looks like that'll be the case this year.

Fall questions

1. How will TCU handle the jump? Complain about the question all you want, Frogs. It's not that anyone's beating it into the ground, it's that TCU hasn't had a chance to answer it. Fact: The Big 12 will be much more difficult than the Mountain West Conference. TCU brings back a good amount of talent that's built to have success in the Big 12 immediately. Can they do it, though? I'm betting yes, that TCU will flirt with double-digit wins.

2. Will the secondary, especially the safeties, improve? TCU's rise under Gary Patterson has been marked by suffocating defense, but TCU slid to a finish outside the national top 30 in total defense last season after leading the nation in total defense in 2009 and 2010. The loss to Baylor personified those struggles more than any game all season. Patterson wasn't happy with his secondary this spring, either. The bad news: There are lots of Baylors in the Big 12. The good news: Safeties coach Chad Glasgow is back after serving as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech for one season.

3. Can TCU handle gut-punching defensive losses? The Horned Frogs suffered the biggest off-field scandal in the Big 12 this offseason when four players were arrested in a campus drug sting. That's a problem of its own off the field, but on the field, TCU still has to replace 2011 big contributors in Tanner Brock, Devin Johnson and D.J. Yendrey. How much will those losses hurt in the fall?

We wrapped up our list of the Big 12's top 25 players in 2012 last week, but it's time to look ahead.

Who was way off this year's list that could crack it in 2013? Here's a few names.

Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas: Diggs' fellow corner, Carrington Byndom, nearly made this year's list, and perhaps should have. Next year, though, Diggs could make both of UT's cornerbacks among the league's best. As a true freshman, Diggs led the team in interceptions, with four.

Josh Boyce, WR, TCU: Boyce (and his quarterback, Casey Pachall) would have been easy selections this year, but they weren't in the Big 12. They will be in 2012. Boyce caught 61 balls for 998 yards and nine scores, and figures to be as productive next year.

Quarty McBackerson, QB, Oklahoma State: Call this a placeholder. Brandon Weeden is gone, but Oklahoma State has a great offensive line and lots of weapons around whoever wins the Cowboys' spring quarterback derby. Look for Clint Chelf, Wes Lunt or J.W. Walsh to make this list next year.

Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas: Brown led the Longhorns in rushing as a true freshman, but was hampered by injury and the team limited his touches early in the season. There won't be any restrictions this year, and if he stays healthy, he could be a 1,000-yard back, even with Joe Bergeron and Johnathan Gray sharing carries.

Darrin Moore, WR, Texas Tech: If you read this blog, you know how big of a Moore proponent I am. I see Biletnikoff Award potential in him. Tech needs a new top receiver, and if Moore stays healthy, don't rule out a 1,500-yard season for the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder.

Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor: Williams wasn't too far off this year, but he didn't make our honorable mention. He had a quiet 900-yard season this year, but without Kendall Wright, Williams is the top target for new quarterback Nick Florence.

Corey Nelson, LB, Oklahoma: Nelson had a somewhat underwhelming year, but without Travis Lewis' leadership, Nelson could emerge as a breakout defensive player this fall.

Another spring camp is opening, and it's time to take a closer look. Today, the TCU Horned Frogs get started.

Schedule: Practice opens Friday at 5 p.m. ET and will conclude on April 5. Various practices may be open, but the plan has not been officially announced. TCU does not host a formal spring game.

What's new: The task ahead, mainly. You'll see a renewed sense of purpose this spring at TCU. The Horned Frogs know they have to be better to compete for a Big 12 title. In the Big 12, you put it on the line every week, and everybody can beat everybody. Ask Baylor and Kansas about that one. Or Iowa State and Oklahoma State. One win can't make a season, and 1-2 games don't decide a conference title like they do in the Mountain West.

New faces: TCU is welcoming four new faces to campus this spring as early enrolling freshmen: Quarterback Tyler Matthews, running back B.J. Catalon, transfer cornerback Keivon Gamble, and receiver Kolby Listenbee, who also made our 2012 Recruiting All-Name team.

Rekindling old flames: Former safeties coach Chad Glasgow returned to his post in Fort Worth after a season as the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech. He helped TCU lead the nation in total defense in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Those days are over for the Horned Frogs in the offense-heavy Big 12, but TCU fell to 15th last season in the Mountain West. Finishing there in the Big 12 in 2012 would be huge.

Big shoes to fill: Linebacker Deryck Gildon. Tank Carder (and his armbands) wrapped up their eligibility last year, but hopes are high that the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Gildon can be the man to hold TCU's defense together at the linebacker spot. His importance is amplified by the exit of Tanner Brock, who is among four players "separated" from the team while the legal process plays out following their drug sting arrests.

Breaking out: Receiver Brandon Carter. You probably already know about Josh Boyce and maybe Skye Dawson. But Carter, a freshman, could join them for a pretty dangerous third weapon in TCU's passing game for quarterback Casey Pachall. Among Carter's biggest catches last year was the game winner against Boise State, but this could be a big spring for him. And to think, Oklahoma only wanted him as a cornerback.

All eyes on: Player conduct. Four players were arrested in a drug sting by local police and reports indicated that five players tested positive for marijuana while 11 others showed trace amounts in a surprise Feb. 1 drug test administered by the team. However, comments from players to undercover police in police affidavits suggest that usage was much higher. Either way, the microscope is firmly on what's otherwise been a spotless program before these recent troubles.

We'll cap our moving week by introducing a new team to the big stage: TCU, welcome to the Big 12.

Our former Southwest Conference teams surely remember the Horned Frogs, but it's time to get everyone acquainted. To help me out, we've got College Nation blogger Andrea Adelson.

David Ubben: Andrea, you've been around this program the last year or so. Most fans won't have to travel far when they make it to the newly renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium, but what can they expect for a game-day experience?

Andrea Adelson: TCU might not have a stadium as big as Texas or Oklahoma, but fans sure get loud and provide a really good home-field advantage. The Horned Frogs have won 26 of their last 27 home games, and coach Gary Patterson has lost only seven times there in his 11 seasons as head coach. The newly renovated stadium should provide even more of a home-field advantage as the student section has now been reconfigured to run goal line to goal line behind the opponent bench. Students typically get dressed up all in purple and there is one spirit organization known as the HyperFrogs that leads chants throughout the game to get everybody fired up. Word is that playing a full slate of Big 12 competition is going to spur even more excitement at games and lead to many more sellouts.

DU: I'm excited to see it. I've done baseball and basketball at TCU, but I've never been to a football game. I'll have to end that this year. I'm definitely buying the idea that TCU's attendance issues have been accentuated by some less-than-stellar opponents. I'm not impressed by the home record, though.

The Horned Frogs already have their hand signal ready, a signature of Texas teams from that old Southwest Conference, but what's this move, getting reacquainted with some old friends, mean to TCU?

AA: It means everything, David. TCU was so desperate to get into an automatic qualifying conference, it agreed back in 2010 to join the Big East and then tried to tell everybody that geography did not matter and making the move was the perfect fit. The truth is, TCU always had designs on the Big 12, but the league had no interest in the Horned Frogs. Maybe that is because they were viewed as the pesky little brother that needed to be kept locked in his room. But the shifting sands of realignment made it increasingly obvious that TCU was the no-brainer choice to join the Big 12. It is no wonder TCU jumped ship for a conference closer to home without ever having played a down of football in the Big East. The Horned Frogs have finally achieved the goal set when the Southwest Conference broke up -- and it took only three (and a half) league homes to get there.

DU: Yeah, people want to knock TCU for conference jumping, but how can you not when the non-AQ leagues are shifting as much as they have in the past couple of decades. There's no doubt about it: TCU is home. I was at the news conference when they announced the move, and I've never seen so many people in suits wearing enormous smiles.

Big 12 fans may know TCU's combo of quarterback Casey Pachall and receiver Josh Boyce, but who are a few names Big 12 fans should keep an eye out for in 2012?

AA: TCU has a three-headed running back trio in Ed Wesley, Matthew Tucker and Waymon James, and all three return for this season. The three nearly split their carries evenly in 2011 -- each getting over 100 -- and combined for 2,337 yards and 24 touchdown runs. On the defensive side of the ball, watch for DE Stansly Maponga, a first-team Mountain West selection who really blossomed in his sophomore season. Maponga had nine sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles and will be expected to anchor what should be a solid defensive line. I am also going to be intrigued to see how receiver Brandon Carter does in his sophomore season. He did play as a true freshman and had 352 yards and three touchdowns, but bigger things will be expected. He was one of the big gets in the 2011 recruiting class, a four-star prospect out of Euless, Texas.

DU: OU fans may remember Brandon Carter. He was almost a Sooner, but they wanted him to play corner. Safe to say he's feeling good about his decision now.

Time to put you on the spot, AA: Forecast the Horned Frogs' first year in the Big 12. Win total, conference record, bowl game and Big 12 finish.

AA: Without knowing the actual schedule, as in home games and away games, I am going to say at least eight wins and a finish in the top four. So that would project out to Alamo or Insight, and of course that depends on who else is eligible to be selected.

DU: Yeah, the Big 12 isn't really making this one easy on us.

I like what TCU's got coming back. This is a team that could run the table outside of the Big 12, but they may hit a few speed bumps in the transition. I'll say TCU wins nine games, finishes fourth in the Big 12 and heads to the Insight Bowl. Not a bad debut for a program that could see its success sky-rocket in years to come.

Time for what's probably our final checkup on TCU before the Horned Frogs join the Big 12.

Record: 11-2 (7-0 Mountain West)

National rank: No. 18 in the BCS standings. No. 16 in the AP poll. No. 15 in the USA Today poll.

Last result: Beat Louisiana Tech 31-24 in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

What to know: Anybody who watched could tell TCU was a bit uninspired, perhaps disappointed it narrowly missed out on a third consecutive trip to the BCS.

Either way, the Horned Frogs erased a 24-17 fourth-quarter deficit to win 31-24.

Skye Dawson hauled in a 42-yard touchdown pass from Casey Pachall on a rollout to take the lead for good with 4:26 left to play.

The secondary struggled, and TCU couldn't get off the field for much of the first half, but managed to tie the game at 10 after after a Greg McCoy interception.

We saw plenty of those secondary struggled against Baylor early in the season, but the Horned Frogs rebounded in the second half.

"It didn't turn out the way we expected or how we wanted it to but we came out with a win," Dawson said.

He finished with 85 yards on four catches to earn MVP honors.

Pachall finished 15-of-29 for 206 yards and broke Andy Dalton's single-season school records for completions (228) and passing yards (2,921).

For frame of reference, five Big 12 quarterbacks had more completions, and Missouri's James Franklin needs just five completions to make it six. Five Big 12 quarterbacks had more yards, and Franklin needs 182 yards passing to make it six.

A couple local takes on the game:

• TCU wakes up, smells Poinsettia after stinky start
• Fourth-quarter comeback proves a tune-up for Big 12

What's next: The move to the Big 12.

Ironically, TCU is a combined 10-0 against the SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC.

Against the Big 12, it is just 6-6. The Horned Frogs have won 11 games in seven of the past nine seasons, and in the Big 12, that pace figures to slow as they adjust to more grueling week-to-week schedules. Still, most of the offense returns next year, including several contributors. TCU's quarterback (Pachall), leading rusher (Waymon James), top receiver (Josh Boyce) and sacks leader (Stansly Maponga) will all come back next year as juniors.

There's no reason TCU can't contend for a Big 12 title in 2012.

TCU HORNED FROGS

Record: 10-2, 7-0 MWC

The season did not exactly start the way TCU is used to, with losses in two of the first five games. It was not the offense that was a problem, but the defense, which simply gave up too many points and too many big plays in the pass game in losses to Baylor and SMU. Injuries and inexperience really hurt the defense, with key losses like Tanner Brock (injury) and safety Tejay Johnson (graduation) having an impact. But you knew with Gary Patterson, a defensive guru, performances like that would not last. TCU showed steady improvement, then pulled the upset of the season in Boise, beating the Broncos 36-35 to end their long winning streak on the blue turf.

TCU ended up winning another conference championship, reaching the 10-win mark for the fourth straight year and eighth time in the past 10 seasons under Patterson. Before Patterson arrived on campus in 1998, the Horned Frogs had just four 10-win seasons in their history.

They end their run in the Mountain West having won a record 24 straight league games, while also holding the conference mark for consecutive home league wins at 17.

Offensive MVP: Casey Pachall, QB. The big concern going into the season was how Pachall would fare in place of Andy Dalton, the school's all-time winningest quarterback. Pachall did a terrific job in his first year as a starter, going 213-of-314 for 2,715 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He made the All-MWC second team. Receiver Josh Boyce was outstanding as well, with 932 yards receiving and nine touchdown receptions.

Defensive MVP: Tank Carder, LB. Injuries hampered Carder's productivity at the beginning of the season, but he closed out strong and ended up winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors for a second straight season. Carder finished with 66 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss, and returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

Turning point: Beating Boise State 36-35. Coach Gary Patterson gambled and went for 2 late in the game, playing for the win rather than the tie. Pachall found Josh Boyce in the end zone for the conversion with 1:05 remaining. The Broncos marched down the field and got into field goal range, but Dan Goodale missed a 39-yard field goal at the gun. The victory allowed TCU to win its third straight Mountain West Conference championship in its final year in the league.

What’s next: TCU was hoping to get an automatic selection into the BCS but failed to finish in the top 16 of the final standings. So it's off to the Poinsettia Bowl against WAC champion Louisiana Tech, then a move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. There is so much young talent on this team, it will be interesting to see how the Horned Frogs fare in their first year in an AQ conference.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The moment Boise State conveniently fumbled away its potential close-out drive with 2:26 to go, TCU Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson clicked his headset over to his offensive coaches up in the booth.

"I said, 'Do you have a two-point play ready?'" Patterson said. "And they said, 'Yes,' and I said, 'Well, you go down and score. We're going for it.'"

PODCAST
Trey Fallon and Landry Locker of ESPN Dallas talk about TCU's win over Boise State, what it means for the 2011 season, the possibility of making a BCS bowl game and the upcoming game against Colorado State. Listen

TCU took over on its own 27 down by a touchdown. Quarterback Casey Pachall completed 5-of-7 passes on the all-aerial drive, capped by a tremendous leaping grab in the end zone by 5-11 true freshman wide receiver Brandon Carter to pull the Frogs within 35-34 with 1:05 to play.

Pachall, who later would say he figured they'd kick the extra point to tie, and others headed off the field as if after most any other touchdown. This, Patterson would later say, was not most any other touchdown.

"I was hoping we were going to go for two, but then I didn't know because I saw a bunch of people start running off the field," TCU senior left guard Kyle Dooley said. "Then I see all the coaches yelling and everybody just stop. I stayed out on the field for the PAT and then I saw Patterson stick his fingers up for two and that's when I knew we were going for it."

To likely win it or lose it right there, on one play.

"It's a completely different feeling," Dooley said, "than if you know you're going to have to kick an extra point and possibly have to go to overtime."

Before TCU could get the play off, there was confusion.

"We about screwed it up and had to call a timeout," Patterson said. "In true Horned Frog fashion."

They got it off and Pachall targeted Josh Boyce, who grabbed the inside throw, pulling it away from the Boise defender for two points and a 36-35 lead with 65 ticks left. Boise drove 38 yards on eights plays to the TCU 22, but missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.

Patterson said going for the tie was not an option.

"No, not against them, not there," Patterson said. "Nobody's beaten them; two times in 10 years people have beaten them there."

TCU's win was just Boise's third loss in their last 75 home games going back more than a decade.

"The longer it went the more it was going to be in their favor," Patterson said. "I'd already seen enough of their gadget plays in the red zone in the first 60 minutes of play."

Time for our weekly checkup with the league's new members. We'll kick off the next West Virginia update later today. But first, keeping up with the Horned Frogs so you don't have to.

Yet, anyway.

Record: 8-2 (5-0 Mountain West)

National rank: No. 19 in both the USA Today and Associated Press polls.

Last result: Beat No. 5 Boise State 36-35 in Boise

What to know: TCU has a message for you: "You're welcome, America." Stanford went down later in the night, and Oklahoma State and LSU were the nation's only undefeated teams left in the national title race. A loss for either could have meant the polarizing Broncos in the title game. Not anymore. TCU freshman (and former OU verbal commit, as a cornerback) Brandon Carter hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass over a defender and scored what looked like a game-tying score. That is, until Gary Patterson elected to go for the win with 1:05 remaining. They got it, and Boise went down with a shocking miss once again when freshman Dan Goodale shanked a 39-yard kick from the center of the field.

It was one of the games of the weekend, and TCU quarterback Casey Pachall took home Walter Camp National Player of the Week Award for his efforts. He threw for 473 yards and five touchdowns on 24-of-37 passing. Losses to Baylor and SMU will likely keep TCU from getting back to a huge bowl game, but like last year against Wisconsin, TCU proved it could be giant killers, and avenged a Fiesta Bowl loss to the Broncos back at the end of the 2009 season. It also ended Boise State's 47-game home winning streak in conference play, dating back to 1999.

You've done the Big 12 proud, Frogs.

Up next: vs. Colorado State (3-6)

2010 overall record: 13-0

2010 conference record: 8-0, champions

Returning starters

Offense: 5, defense 6, punter/kicker 2

Top returners

LB Tank Carder, WR Josh Boyce, RB Ed Wesley, LB Tanner Brock

Key losses

QB Andy Dalton, WR/PR Jeremy Kerley, S Tejay Johnson, DE Wayne Daniels

2010 statistical leaders (* denotes returners)

Rushing: Wesley* (1,078 yards, 11 TDs)

Passing: Dalton (209-of-316 for 2,857, 27 TDs, 6 INTs)

Receiving: Kerley (575 yards, 10 TDs)

Tackles: Brock* (106)

Sacks: Daniels (6.5)

Interceptions: Johnson (three)

Spring Answers

1. The defensive line looks strong. But then again, when does it not look strong? Coach Gary Patterson always does a tremendous job with his defense and 2011 is shaping up to be no exception. Patterson said coming out of spring that this unit has a chance to be even better than last season, despite losing Daniels. Braylon Broughton had a great spring, and so did Stansly Maponga.

2. Safeties looking good. TCU loses three of its five starters in the secondary, including safety Tejay Johnson. But Patterson was encouraged this spring by Johnny Fobbs and Sam Carter, who both had excellent springs. Fobbs, a senior who has waited for his opportunity, is penciled in at Johnson’s spot. Carter is a converted quarterback who made plays throughout practice and is listed as the backup behind Trenton Thomas.

3. Casey Pachall the man. Pachall and Matt Brown split the reps during the spring, and as expected, Pachall is the man to start at quarterback for TCU going forward. He simply has more experience than Brown, a redshirt freshman, and more knowledge of the offense.

Fall Questions

1. How many freshmen will contribute at receiver? This is the one area that TCU will rely on newcomers or help. Brandon Carter and LaDarius Brown are the two players who are mentioned the most, but there will also be opportunities for David Bush, David Porter and Cameron White.

2. Leadership. This is one area that Patterson wants to see develop in the offseason. The Horned Frogs lost 26 seniors and team leaders Andy Dalton and Johnson. It is imperative for players to step up and fill that void they have left. Tank Carder is an obvious choice to do just that.

3. Can Pachall step up right away? Pachall has been through three spring practices already and gotten some valuable playing time behind Dalton. But there is no way of knowing whether he has what it takes to be a winning starting quarterback until the season begins and he gets thrown into the fire.

TCU quarterback Andy Dalton was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week after an historic performance in which he passed for a career-high 355 yards to lead the No. 3 Horned Frogs to a 47-7 wipeout of No. 5 Utah.

The nation's winningest active quarterback with 39 victories, Dalton completed 21-of-26 passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The 355 yards surpassed Dalton's previous career-best of 344 yards at Stanford as a freshman in 2007.

Dalton, a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist, helped TCU reach the 10-win mark for the seventh time in the last nine seasons. Dalton's 80.8 completion percentage at Utah tied for the sixth-best single-game mark in TCU history. In the last eight games, Dalton has three of the top-seven all-time single-game completion percentages at TCU.

Dalton also extended his Mountain West Conference record to 18 consecutive games with a touchdown pass when he hit Josh Boyce with a 26-yard strike to cap a nine-play, 80-yard drive on the game's opening series.

Later in the first quarter, Dalton and Boyce connected on a 93-yard touchdown pass for the third-longest play in TCU history.

Dalton's 369 yards of total offense moved him into second place in Mountain West Conference history with 11,320 yards. Dalton is already TCU's career leader in that category.

For the season, Dalton has completed a TCU single-season record 67.5 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He's also third on the Horned Frogs with 418 yards rushing on a 6.0 per carry mark.