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TCU will have a new league and a new stadium this fall.

It will also have a new record for season ticket sales.

The Horned Frogs announced Wednesday that they had sold out of an allotted 30,000 season tickets, shattering the school record of 22,500 sold for the 2011 season.

The new Amon G. Carter Stadium will seat about 45,000.

TCU set the old mark on the heels of a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, but rejoining old Southwest Conference rivals has the Horned Frogs fan base fired up.

"We are incredibly proud of the Horned Frog Nation," TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. "With the momentum in our program under (head coach) Gary Patterson, the new Amon G. Carter Stadium set to open this fall and the excitement throughout TCU, Fort Worth and the entire Metroplex with our Big 12 membership, this is an incredible time to be a Horned Frog."

There's no doubt about that. Good times in Fort Worth these days.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Inside TCU's team meeting room, an all-white triangle awaits some new colors come fall.

Well, one new color if the 2012 season goes TCU's way.

At the bottom sits the small things like keeping teammates accountable. Maybe its a rep in practice or on the bench press. He wants chemistry and a family atmosphere, as well as a good attitude.

Do that, and you've established the bottom rung of Gary Patterson's famed pyramid. The white base earns a full purple coat.

Above it comes a call to prepare in game weeks, a demand for mental toughness and a tradition of physical play that TCU has built its program upon.

Players sign the outside to show a promise of commitment to what the pyramid imposes.

This year, though, things are a little different.

The names of TCU's nonconference opponents — Grambling, SMU and Virginia — sit below a demand for the Horned Frogs to "Leave No Doubt."

Around Fort Worth, Patterson's Pyramid is a well-known commodity. Across the Big 12, though, get to know it well. You might not see it in person, but TCU's opponents will see its results. And in the past, they've been excellent.

If TCU suffers a loss, the purple triangle gets an ugly white block in the middle.

At the top sits a call: Go to a BCS bowl game and win.

TCU accomplished that in the 2010 season. Above that, though, sits one final goal: "#1 National Champions."

TCU strung together a 13-0 season in 2010 after beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, but was denied a chance to play for the title by the BCS.

After returning home, Patterson couldn't rob his team of what it had achieved. It did everything it could.

Patterson colored in the top triangle to cheers and framed the all-purple pyramid, hanging it outside his office in the football facility.

In conference play, though, there's a new list of teams — certainly one that's welcomed. It's tougher. TCU's slogan for 2012 — it's hanging above the pyramid in purple print — is "Make It Personal."

Protecting home turf in conference play takes up the next level of the pyramid with a list of each opponent who will suit up at a rebuilt Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Teams that win big do it on the road. Conference road games take up the higher block on the pyramid.

Simple postseason goals — get to a bowl game, win and earn a top-25 postseason ranking — make up the block before the biggest goals.

The time to achieve those will come in September. For now, TCU is working on the building blocks while the pyramid remains white.

"We’ve got a long ways to go to get where we want to get to. The only way we’re going to get there is hard work, keep our nose down, understand we play one game at a time, just like we always have on the pyramid," Patterson said.

"But the top and the bottom have never changed."

TCU's means to reach the top, though?

Thanks to a new league home, they're more than they've ever been for Patterson.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Early in Tuesday's practice under an overcast sky, a fitting anthem blared.

"You know where you are?" screeched Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. "You're in the jungle, baby."

Nevermind that the song's next line prophesied death for the newcomer. TCU is officially preparing to enter the Big 12.

Welcome to the jungle, indeed. Hope you brought a machete.

Preparations start now in the spring for Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs. As TCU transitions into an AQ conference, it must tackle the No. 1 criticism of any non-AQ team: depth.

"Twos and threes win championships. Everybody loses ones," Patterson said. "How do your twos and threes play?"

He's already undergoing his third conference move as he prepares for his 13th season as TCU head coach. The program moved from the WAC to Conference USA after Patterson's first season and from C-USA to the Mountain West in 2005.

Patterson already has every Big 12 game from 2011 for viewing on his home laptop.

"Instead of watching 'CSI: Miami,' I’m watching Oklahoma State," Patterson said. "That’s what you have to do. There’s a lot of preparation. It’s not like we’ve been playing these teams 7-8 years and you know what they do. You’ve got to start preparing right now."

The same is true on the recruiting trail, where TCU cracked the national top 25 with its latest class. The Horned Frogs could see those dividends multiply with its new home in one of college football's best conferences, where former Southwest Conference rivals Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas reside along with new foes Oklahoma and Oklahoma State from the former Big 8.

"We’ve always recruited to play in the Big 12, because we knew if we could recruit to play in the Big 12, we could have a chance to win in the Mountain West," Patterson said. "So, the only big difference is now we’re recruiting kids and people can’t say, 'Well, you’re not going to go to TCU because you’re not in the Big 12.' Well, now we are in the Big 12."

TCU looks ready to grow, and if prospects in the Metroplex don't want to come along? Well ...

"We're like the girl next door. If they're not careful in the Metroplex, pretty soon they are going to go three hours down the road," Patterson said. "They are going to grow up and we are going to grow up and be beautiful and they are going to wish they would have went out with us because somebody else is taking them to the prom."

Yeah, but it's not all boutonnieres and roses (or Rose Bowls). Those recruiting inroads come with a price: a schedule that's likely to feature five preseason top-20 teams.

TCU can have its new stadium, undergoing a $164 million upgrade, including six $15 million suites 20 rows from the field (it will seat 45,000 when it's finished before the 2012 season). It can have its new locker room with pristine wood lining each player's space along with a cushy seat to park after long practices.

That doesn't change the obvious truth.

"All that doesn’t make any difference if you don’t win," Patterson said. "So my goal is to grow up the best football team I can and win.

"That’s what we’re doing right now."

We'll find out in the fall if Patterson is succeeding, but he's got the pieces. His Horned Frogs return an all-conference quarterback in Casey Pachall and his top three targets, along with an outlandish three 700-yard rushers from last year's team.

The big job this spring is patching together a defense that took a step back in 2011. It fell on its face when three starters were arrested in a campus drug sting and have been consequently "separated" from the team until the legal process plays out.

"The thing I like best about this team is they competed hard but they still like each other," Patterson said. "But for two hours, you’ve gotta hate each other. You’ve gotta learn."

His team is learning, but the fall tests will be much more difficult.

Will TCU pass or fail?

The discussion comes up every year, especially in years like 2008, 2009 and 2011 when the Big 12 mounts a serious threat at toppling the SEC's run of national title wins.

So what separates the two leagues? TCU coach Gary Patterson was asked the question this weekend. He's a Big 12 newcomer, and his answer confirms what you've probably heard before, but from one more source.

"There are a lot of good players every where else. If you look at the NFL per capita, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi they put out more NFL players than anywhere else in the country," Patterson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It's the body types in the regions of the United States that make a difference, too. You are going to find the skill players, but what we don't have as much in this state is the size of bodies of offensive and defensive linemen that the southeast part of the United States has. It's the gene pool."

I agree with Patterson. In the high-stakes games we've seen in the past few years, beefy linemen like Nick Fairley at Auburn and Marcell Dareus at Alabama have proved too much for spread offenses like Oregon and Texas.

But for those across the Big 12, Patterson's latter comments should be cause for concern.

Texas brought Bo Davis from Alabama to coach the team's defensive tackles and Stacy Searels to coach the offensive line. This year, both Davis and Searels will have junior-college transfers to coach.

Traditionally, the more mature-bodied talents show up on campus ready to contribute and have been staples of championship SEC defenses.

Texas' Brandon Moore has been described by teammates as "unstoppable" this offseason. Apparently, word has gotten out.

"Alabama is playing with 350-pound guys. Like the guy who just transferred to Texas; he's 6-7, 340. They ain't had 6-7, 340 guy forever that can run like he does," Patterson said. "(The state of Texas) has skill players. It doesn't matter whether it's 1-A or 5-A, they can all run. I'm not knocking what we do here at all. It's just a different body type."

Patterson's right, but could Texas be the first step in a changing game? Moore and offensive lineman Donald Hawkins are just the first.

Will they be the last? If either has a big impact, you better believe there's no way others won't follow suit, and we could see a whole lot of Big 12 teams gunning for those highly recruited jucos in the South.

We kicked off our spring preview on Tuesday, and you may have noticed a couple new faces making an appearance.

We're still integrating West Virginia and TCU into the Big 12 fold, but there's a lot to be excited about for both.

That said, which team's new membership excites you most?

TCU will renew its old rivalries from the Southwest Conference with Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor, though A&M has left for the SEC.

The Horned Frogs played a classic with the Bears last season, and until Tech beat the Sooners last year, the Horned Frogs were the last team to win a game in Norman, Okla., all the way back in the 2005 season opener.

Gary Patterson's built something special at TCU, and the Horned Frogs proved that non-AQ schools really can win their way into the big leagues.

Now it's time for TCU to win at the next level.

West Virginia? The Mountaineers have a recognizable head man in Dana Holgorsen, who made stops at Texas Tech under Mike Leach and Oklahoma State, where he revitalized the Cowboys' offense and helped win a then-school-record 11 games.

West Virginia will be a much larger unknown to Big 12 folk. Morgantown is a long way from Fort Worth. I've never been to West Virginia, and I assume plenty of Big 12 fans haven't been, either.

Now's your chance.

Both teams have big offenses coming back in 2012. Both teams have had big success on the BCS stage.

Which team are you most excited to see? Vote in our poll.

TCU and West Virginia don't "officially" join the Big 12 until July 1.

But nothing happens in July. In March, we have spring football, and in every meaningful sense, the Horned Frogs and Mountaineers have become the first teams to join the Big 12 since its creation back in 1994.

Big 12 teams are showing up on both programs' new film for 2012. Recruiting efforts are shifting.

It's a new world in the Big 12. If you lost track, it still has 10 teams.

Since June 2010, though, it has lost four teams (Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, Missouri) before gaining two more back in October.

The Big East let TCU, which had promised to join the league in 2012, go without incident. Months of legal wrangling and a hard-to-swallow $20 million price tag for leaving were needed for the Mountaineers to make it official.

The Big 12 lost a lot when storied Nebraska left for the Big Ten. It lost nowhere near as much when Colorado left for the Pac-12.

Two big programs with lots of eyes, in Mizzou and Texas A&M, are gone. There's no getting around it: They'll be missed in some ways. You can't replace a century of rivalries without a century of new rivalries. And even then, it's difficult.

Missouri-Kansas? Texas A&M-Texas? You can't replace that, no matter how hard you try. Both rivalries -- annual staples on the college football calendar -- are dead now.

But what you can replace?

Texas A&M and Missouri's modest-to-OK results on the field since the Big 12 began.

TCU and West Virginia will be every bit the teams the Aggies and Tigers were on the field. They'll lack the history, sure. They'll lack the familiarity even more.

But they won't lack the success, however moderate it was for the Aggies and Tigers.

TCU coach Gary Patterson revitalized a historically mediocre program to unprecedented success, winning 11 games in six of seven seasons in the Mountain West Conference, including BCS bowl appearances in consecutive seasons in 2009 and 2010, capped by a win in the Rose Bowl.

TCU won't make winning 11 games an annual occurrence in the Big 12, but would Texas A&M have done much better with a similar schedule?

Meanwhile, West Virginia is 3-0 in BCS bowl games of its own, winning six Big East titles since 2003.

Could Missouri have done much more in the Big East?

Doubtful.

The Tigers have won eight games in six consecutive seasons, one of just a handful of teams to duplicate the feat. It won at least a share of the Big 12 North in three of the division's final four seasons before the Big 12 moved to 10 teams in 2011.

A 12-win season in 2007 was the highlight under Gary Pinkel, but the Tigers have yet to reach the BCS and never won a Big 12 title, getting blown out by Oklahoma in both Big 12 title game appearances.

WVU, though, won 32 games in the final three seasons under Rich Rodriguez and won 27 games in three seasons under Bill Stewart. Dana Holgorsen won 10 games in his first season.

The Big East isn't the Big 12, but Missouri won 63 games in that same span. Add up West Virginia's? The Mountaineers have 69 wins.

Why can't WVU step in and duplicate, if not exceed, what Missouri was able to do?

The Mountaineers can -- and will.

Meanwhile, the Big 12's most frustrating question -- why can't Texas A&M be a national power? -- is the SEC's problem now.

The Aggies have had all the facilities, all the support and all the resources necessary to become one. It has exactly one Big 12 title to show for it and still yearns for the days of R.C. Slocum. The legendary coach won four conference titles, but the program has been blanked since 1998.

TCU, meanwhile, is poised for a rise in the new Big 12. Recruiting will get a boost now that the school has major conference affiliation to offer prospects. Win totals will take a knock from recent totals but stabilize.

For the curious: TCU won 77 games in its past seven seasons. Texas A&M won 47 games in the same span.

Call it a small sample size. Call it a down period for the Aggies.

It's both, but now is now, and TCU looks more than capable to replace every bit of what Texas A&M brought the Big 12 on the field while the Aggies try to swim in the cutthroat SEC West, college football's toughest division.

The Big 12 is adjusting to a new world.

Off the field, the Aggies and Tigers will be sorely missed. To argue otherwise is foolish.

But on the field?

Credit the Big 12 on this one. The conference can easily say "Sayonara" without shedding a tear.

We're back, and the kindly introduction is over. It's time to get to know the real West Virginia.

How will the Mountaineers handle the transition? Big 12 blogger David Ubben and Big East blogger Andrea Adelson debated the issue.

David Ubben: TCU's jump would seem to be a lot bigger, but the Big East has had its well-chronicled struggles the past few years. The Mountaineers left the league with a convincing Orange Bowl win against Clemson, scoring 70 points in the process. Talk about endearing yourself to your new offensive-minded friends, huh? You've seen this team up close lately, though. What, if anything, do you think WVU will have to change to get back to the BCS as a Big-12 member?

Andrea Adelson: Well, one thing that definitely is going to change is the way West Virginia plays defense. Long-time defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel is out, and so is the odd 3-3-5 stack defense. The Mountaineers are going to go with a 3-4 base set under former Oklahoma State assistant Joe DeForest. This should help ease the transition from the stack, as West Virginia does not have the type of players on the roster to go with four down linemen.

In addition to the new scheme, West Virginia is losing its two best pass-rushers in Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller, perhaps its best defensive player in linebacker Najee Goode, and its best cover corner in Keith Tandy. There were times last season when the Mountaineers got beat deep in pass coverage, which will not bode well in Big 12 play.

However, cornerback Brodrick Jenkins has the potential to be truly terrific in 2012. He showed flashes late last season. As for the offense, coach Dana Holgorsen is looking for perfection. That means more consistent play out of an offensive line that was mediocre at times last season, and more explosion out of the run game. Starting running back Dustin Garrison is coming off ACL surgery, so it will be interesting to see whether he will be the same back come August.

Say what you will about the Holgorsen passing offense, but he definitely wants a running back to complement Geno Smith the way Kendall Hunter did with Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State in 2010. How do you think West Virginia will fit in to its new conference home?

DU: WVU is a good fit on the field. Geographically, not so much, but the Big 12 teams have to like that. There's a lot of uneasiness with TCU entering the league. That could shake up recruiting a lot and cut into the share of teams like Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

But West Virginia's clearly a strong brand. This is a team that could just as easily have been in the SEC. Instead, it's in the Big 12. The three BCS wins are a big deal, as was the Orange Bowl win. That's endeared the Mountaineers to their new opponents in the Big 12. To win like that on that kind of stage says a lot about where the program is and where it's headed. Having a coach like Holgorsen, who has lots of ties to Texas, will help them grab a few players in Texas, too. The difference between WVU and Mizzou isn't much when you think about recruiting in Texas. I could see WVU being the biggest threat to Missouri recruiting in Texas.

But like TCU, winning games gets people excited. Big 12 fans are psyched about the Mountaineers, who seem like a fun group.

How do you think WVU's transition will compare to TCU's?

AA: Watching a team put up 70 points is always fun! Hearing a guy like Holgorsen talk is always fun because you never know what he is going to say.

But on to your question: I think West Virginia will have a much smoother transition than TCU because it has played in an AQ conference already. Yeah, OK enter your Big Least jokes in here. But West Virginia has been a solid program throughout the course of its history. Note that the Mountaineers are one of just 14 schools to have 700 program victories -- joining Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12.

West Virginia is one of just three schools to have at least nine wins in seven straight seasons. That doesn't happen by accident. And it's also important to note West Virginia is not exactly in a recruiting hotbed. Talent does not come pouring out of the state the way it does in Texas. The Mountaineers have built pipelines into Florida -- Geno Smith and Stedman Bailey being two notable examples on the squad -- and try to mine talent in Baltimore, Virginia and Washington, D.C. So I do think there will be inroads made into Texas with the Big 12 affiliation.

Already on the roster from the state are starting running back Dustin Garrison and quarterback Ford Childress, an ESPNU 150 player in the class of 2012. I respect the job Gary Patterson has done in building TCU, but I simply think there is going to be much more of a growing curve for a team transitioning to an automatic qualifying conference. What do you think?

DU: I'd agree. The Big East has been weak, but there aren't any teams like New Mexico and UNLV in that league, who are little more than a week off for teams as talented as TCU has been the past few years. Show up and you win.

Last year, even Kansas beat the MAC champions, Northern Illinois, before losing its final 10 games of 2011. Big 12 champion Oklahoma State lost to 6-7 Iowa State, too. This league is so, so deep. You have to show up and play well every week, and even then, you might not win. In 2010, 11 of the league's 12 teams had five wins and at least played a game with a chance to win six and qualify for a bowl game.

This year, nine of the 10 teams did that. It's got elite teams, too. Texas and OU played for titles in 2008 and 2009 and OSU was barely shut out of the title game this year.

The depth of the Big 12 is what TCU will have to get used to. In that sense, WVU will have to adjust much less. Of course, you never know for sure. We'll find out next year. WVU had some head-scratching losses, too. Losing to Syracuse by 26 points? Really? Sheesh.

Both of these teams are built to win in 2012, and I think they'll do it. But winning a Big 12 title requires you to show up every week and play well. In the Big East, which sent an eight-win team to the BCS in 2010, that hasn't necessarily been true.

In the Big 12, Texas or OU has basically run through the year with 0-2 losses every single season. If WVU wants to win this league, they'll have to do that.

When do you think WVU will win its first title? Will it win one?

AA: It is tough to put a time frame on when West Virginia will win a league title. As crazy as it might sound, I think this team is built to contend in 2012. The Mountaineers dropped FSU from the nonconference schedule, so you could consider Kansas as filling that void. I am sure West Virginia takes that.

Oklahoma is going to be a preseason national favorite, but after that, every single team returning has major question marks. Is Texas going to be Texas? What does Baylor do without RG3? What does Oklahoma State do without Weeden and Justin Blackmon?

You bring up a good point about the head-scratching losses. There have been a bunch of those over the last several seasons -- including TWO in a row to Syracuse. This is a team that has simply been inconsistent. It didn't put together a full game against Clemson. But I think Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are going to be a handful for teams to stop, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Mountaineers were a surprise contender in 2012. Are you buying or selling?

DU: I'd generally agree. Year 1 seems to be their best chance. It's a wide-open year in the Big 12, and I think Oklahoma's a bit overrated heading into next year, though the potential for a national title run is there. Texas looks like it's on its way back up, but next year won't be the year.

If it doesn't happen next year, though, I don't think WVU will win a Big 12 title in the next decade. It's a solid program that I think could get into the BCS, but win the Big 12?

With the stability, metroplex location and winning tradition, I like TCU's upside a whole lot more, and its ability to win a Big 12 title in the future. I'm buying a Horned Frogs Big 12 title in the next decade. Not so much on WVU.

Time to put you on the spot: What's WVU's record next year and Big 12 finish?

AA: I can see the hate mail trickling into the Big 12 mailbag over that one, Mr. Ubben!

DU: Maybe so. But hey, that's how we do things on the Big 12 Blog. I call it like I see it. And I see more potential for the Froggies, though I think the Mountaineers will be a solid, solid program. I wouldn't be that surprised if they won the league, but I'm not betting on it.

This is a league built around the state of Texas, and the location's going to make it tough for them to consistently field teams that can win 11-12 games consistently.

Next year, I'll take 9-3 for the Mountaineers, but a tie for third place.

As we welcome nearby TCU to the league, the offseason spotlight Thursday shines on the Horned Frogs:

Spotlight: A rotating group of safeties that need a big offseason.

2011 summary: Tekerrein Cuba and Johnny Fobbs combined for 135 tackles and were two of the team's top four tacklers. Cuba broke up three passes and forced two fumbles and Fobbs intercepted one pass with six breakups and forced three fumbles. Both are gone and must be replaced.

The skinny: I'm guessing most of you saw TCU just once last season, and it wasn't a great impression. The first night of the season was an ugly one for TCU full of deep balls and a painful loss, courtesy of future Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. Some of those five touchdowns came in single coverage, but the safeties at TCU left a lot to be desired, especially after losing Tejay Johnson after the 2010 season, a Thorpe Award finalist.

This year, Jonathan Anderson and Elisha Olabode slide into the new safety spots. Offenses like Baylor's are pretty common in the Big 12. Not so much in the Mountain West. That duo has to step into new roles and be effective for the Horned Frogs to succeed in their new league.

Anderson is a promising sophomore who made 17 tackles in a win over BYU at Cowboys Stadium this past season, including 11 solo tackles. Olabode didn't quite have that kind of impact, but both players' development this spring and in fall camp will be enormous.

For so much focus on the offense in this league, you can't forget about the defense, which last year was below what's been expected at TCU.

So we introduced you to TCU on the blog early Thursday, but the pleasantries are out of the way. Let's get serious about this now.

TCU's entering a brand-new world. It won't find any New Mexicos or UNLVs in the Big 12. Even 2-10 Kansas beat the MAC champions this past season.

College Nation blogger Andrea Adelson and Big 12 blogger David Ubben went head to head to offer their thoughts on how the Horned Frogs will handle the transition.

David Ubben: We're back, and it's time to get our hands dirty. The first question is the biggest: Can the Horned Frogs handle the jump and continue their success? TCU's enjoyed 11-win season after 11-win season in the Mountain West. Gary Patterson is 109-30 as the Horned Frogs' coach. What do they have to do to win like that on the big stage?

Andrea Adelson: That is the eternal question facing any school outside one of the automatic qualifying conferences -- how do they measure up once they start playing with the big boys? All we can do is guess until the games begin. But from my vantage point, I think TCU is well-positioned to have a run of success in the Big 12 for a variety of reasons. TCU actually plays defense, and plays it well. I know some folks in the Big 12 might not understand what I am talking about, but consider that the Horned Frogs had a string of three consecutive seasons in which they ranked No. 1 in total defense from 2008-10. Patterson is known throughout the country as one of the sharpest defensive minds, and his group's tenacity and aggressiveness have been their hallmarks. TCU is in the perfect place for recruiting, right in the heart of Texas. Patterson already has worked wonders with gems who were deemed "not good enough" for the likes of Texas. Now that he can sell the Big 12, the quality of his classes is sure to go up. And he has an experienced team coming back this season with some serious playmakers on offense, which should allow the Horned Frogs to fit right into the high-powered Big 12. Casey Pachall proved last season he has what it takes to lead this group, and receiver Josh Boyce is a rising star.

DU: All good points. I agree with you on both counts. TCU's days of leading the nation in total defense are absolutely over with the kinds of offenses in the Big 12, but they have the program stability to rebound from a below-average season defensively in 2011-12.

As for recruiting, we could be poised for a giant to rise. I really believe that. If TCU starts winning consistently in the Big 12, the draw of being the only team in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex could be enormous. The amount of talent in DFW is more than most states. Now, they're almost all within a 30 to 40-minute drive of TCU. Everybody in the Big 12 recruits the area. TCU is now the only team with the ability to offer them a chance to stay really, really close to home. For some, that will be a big draw. I wouldn't be surprised at all if TCU starts stringing together top 10 recruiting classes annually, right on par with Texas and OU.

The team coming back this season wasn't too far off from playing in the national championship game (seriously). Baylor won that dramatic game on the season's opening night, and TCU lost to SMU in overtime later in the year. It's scary to think that you switch a play or two here and a play or two there, an undefeated TCU team plays for the national title.

You hear a lot of talk about TCU's lack of depth. How's that going to affect this team? Is there anything mythical to the idea that the week-to-week grind could be too much of an immediate challenge for the Horned Frogs' current personnel?

AA: Depth is always the argument that is held against any team outside the non-AQ conferences. I thought Utah joining the Pac-12 would be the perfect test case. To me, the Utes had a successful season, even though they lost more games than they had in the Mountain West. They made it to a bowl game in Year 1 as an AQ school, and they won their bowl game against Georgia Tech to finish 8-5. Consider they also lost starting quarterback Jordan Wynn and had to play somebody with limited experience. I think TCU is in even better position than Utah, simply because TCU has a better team returning in 2012. The Big 12 might have a stronger overall conference, but Patterson is no stranger to play in the league, having faced Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech in recent years. But back to the question on depth -- of the 11 players listed on the two-deep at defensive line at the end of last season, 10 return. The running back rotation goes at least three deep. The receiving group is deep and talented as well. If I did have a concern about depth, it would probably be on the offensive line and in the secondary. But TCU replaced nearly everybody on the line last season and had no problem, and the defensive backs got better as the season went on. Still, as a college coach you want your depth to be in the trenches so that is the one area I am going to be paying most attention to in 2012.

DU: Yeah, Patterson is no stranger to Big 12 squads. I think OU fans are still a little sore about that upset back in 2005. The Sooners have only lost at Owen Field three times under Bob Stoops, and the Horned Frogs did it to Stoops and Adrian Peterson.

Depth on the line will be big, but unlike the SEC, where you need big defensive tackles, the Big 12 requires you to have speedy, physical pass-rushers. If you can get pressure on the quarterback -- not necessarily sack him, but get in his face and make it difficult for him to get through his progressions -- with just four or five guys, you're going to have huge success in this league. Texas has done it a lot lately, even while they've struggled the past few years. Oklahoma did it a lot this past season with Frank Alexander.

We'll find out quick if TCU has the athletes to make something like that happen.

TCU is a little more like Mizzou than Texas A&M in that the program is so established before coming to its new league, versus A&M, which is undergoing lots of change on the field and on the sidelines. How will that affect their entrance?

AA: I think it is a huge plus for TCU to have stability right now. You could even say TCU is one of the most stable teams in the country. How many other teams can say their head coach has been around for 12 years, been to two BCS games and won one of them -- the "Granddaddy Of Them All"? Patterson has gotten overtures from other programs, but he seems committed to TCU today and into the future. He has rebuilt this program in his image. It has to be a confidence-builder going into the season to know that TCU has beaten teams like Baylor, Texas Tech and Oklahoma in the recent past; that this program is used to winning with discipline and focus. Every year Patterson talks about putting up his pyramid and making sure his players understand they are starting at the bottom and have to work their way to the top -- a conference championship. From there, perhaps a national championship would be in their sights. That obviously gets a ton easier now that they are members of the Big 12. But I don't think Patterson is going to do anything differently, other than maybe coach 'em up a little bit harder.

DU: Yeah, most people sort of assumed Patterson would leave at some point, but he's really built something special at TCU. Clearly, the move to the Big 12 both validates that and makes it seem likely he won't leave Fort Worth for a long, long time. He's got the Frogs rolling.

Being in the region will help. Like you said, playing and beating those teams adds to the familiarity. West Virginia, on the other hand, is going to be almost a total outsider in that respect. Both WVU and TCU are built to win quickly in this league, but I have to think TCU gains a little edge because of the familiarity factor.

TCU's built to win, but probably not built to win big just yet. You talked about that pyramid. What does TCU have to do to scale it and win its first Big 12 title? Any guesses as to how long it takes?

AA: I bet TCU wins a Big 12 title in the next five years. I don't see it this year because TCU has to get adjusted to new opponents and playing in an AQ conference. But I really have a hard time doubting Patterson, especially given his ability to recruit. To me, Texas and Oklahoma remain the Goliaths who have to be slayed. Every other team has made nice runs, but nobody has really had the same long-range, sustained success as Texas and Oklahoma. If I am Patterson, my focus is getting into their territory.

DU: I don't know about five years, but I'll take your bet within the decade. It's tougher to win now without a championship game and divisions. If TCU was in the old Big 12 North, I'd like their chances in a five-year span. But having to outplay Texas, OU and everyone else in the Big 12 over a nine-game conference season is never easy. That's the goal. It'll be fun to see if TCU can reach it.

Let's take a look back at some of the top moments from the non-AQs in 2011, both good and bad.

1. A missed field goal strikes again. Everybody knew the Boise State-TCU game would have major implications in the national picture. No. 5 Boise State came in undefeated, with a 65-game regular-season home winning streak and veteran Kellen Moore leading the way. But the Horned Frogs are never an easy out, as Boise State has learned through the years. Casey Pachall rallied his team from a fourth-quarter deficit with 1:05 to go when he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Carter. Rather than go for the extra point to tie the game at 35, Gary Patterson went for 2. It was a bold move, but it was one he felt was necessary if he wanted to win in regulation. Pachall converted with a pass to Josh Boyce and TCU went up 36-35. Moore wasn't done. He guided the Broncos into position for the game-winning field goal. But for the second straight year, they missed. This time, it was Dan Goodale's 39-yard kick sailing wide right, denying Boise State a shot at a BCS game. TCU left the Mountain West with its third straight conference title.

2. Houston collapses. All Houston had to do to secure its first BCS berth was beat Southern Miss in the Conference USA title game. The Cougars were the favorite, having gone undefeated in the regular season with Case Keenum behind center. Southern Miss had lost to UAB. So yeah, most everybody expected the Cougars to romp. Instead, the Golden Eagles pulled one of the biggest upsets of the season, shutting down Keenum and winning 49-28 in a game they dominated from start to finish. Keenum threw two interceptions and was harassed all day long. The end result: Houston ended up in the TicketCity Bowl, a far cry from one of the major BCS games. Southern Miss won its first C-USA title game.

3. Records broken. The two best non-AQ players this year ended up breaking two of the most meaningful stats for quarterbacks. Moore ended his career as the NCAA all-time wins leader with 50, passing Colt McCoy of Texas; Keenum ended his career with several NCAA marks -- 19,217 passing yards; 20,114 yards of total offense; 155 passing touchdowns; and 1,546 completions. They both did all they could to lead their teams with maturity and class, and were great representatives for their respective programs.

4. No BCS. For the first time since the BCS expanded to five games, there were no non-AQ teams represented. Much was made about a one-loss No. 7 Boise State team getting passed over for an at-large selection in favor of two teams ranked lower in the BCS standings (Michigan and Virginia Tech). Though four non-AQs finished the season ranked in the AP poll (Boise State, TCU, Houston, Southern Miss), this season will be remembered as one in which there were no undefeated non-AQs for the first time since 2005.

5. Expansion. One of the biggest storylines to eclipse the entire season was expansion, and its impact on the non-AQs. The Mountain West and Conference USA announced they were forming an alliance in the hopes of gaining an automatic bid, and bolstering itself in the event they lost teams. Well, the inevitable happened and they both lost teams. Boise State and San Diego State are leaving the MWC for the Big East, along with UCF, Houston and SMU of C-USA. With TCU going to the Big 12, you can say the non-AQs have been stripped of nearly every single one of their most consistently good teams. There is no word on the future of the alliance between the MWC and C-USA.

6. End of an era. Pat Hill had become an institution at Fresno, guiding the Bulldogs to some of their most important victories in the past 15 years while putting this program on the national map. But this team has slid in recent years and hit rock bottom in 2011 -- going 4-9, tying the mark for most losses in school history. The administration decided it was time for Hill to go and fired him after winning 112 games and going to 11 bowl games in his career there.

7. End of an era, Part II. Many wondered how good TCU would be this season with Andy Dalton headed to the NFL. After a few early-season struggles, the Horned Frogs proved they would be just fine. TCU ended its Mountain West reign with its third straight conference title; 11 victories; and yet another top 15 ranking. In fact, TCU is one of just four schools (Alabama, Boise State and Oregon) to finish in the top 15 of both major polls over the past four seasons. On top of that, TCU and Boise State are the only schools to win at least 11 games each of the past four years.

8. Navy streak ends. For the past eight years, we have come to expect Navy in a bowl game. But it was not meant to be this season. The Midshipmen lost one heartbreaking game after another -- five games by three points or fewer. The last one of those was a 27-24 setback to San Jose State in the second-to-last game of the season. Navy led going into the fourth quarter, but could not hold on. A victory in that game would have ensured a bowl appearance, because Navy finished the season with its 10th straight win over Army.

9. Got any D? The wildest game in college football happened in the MAC this year, between Northern Illinois and Toledo. Now this game is what MAC-tion is all about. The Huskies outlasted the Rockets 63-60 in a game that featured eight lead changes, 1,121 combined yards of offense and a MAC-record 17 touchdowns. Chandler Harnish won the game when he threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Perez Ashford with 19 seconds left. The victory gave Northern Illinois the MAC West title, and allowed the Huskies to make it to the conference title game, where they won their first title since 1983. They also ended up tying the school record with 11 victories.

10. Turn it around. This season, the Sun Belt literally turned itself upside down. Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Western Kentucky went a combined 9-27 in 2010. This season, they went 26-12 and each finished with a winning record. Arkansas State won the league and finished 10-3; ULL went 9-4. Both teams made bowl games. Western Kentucky, which went winless in 2009, finished 7-5 but was left out of a bowl.

This one isn't going to win Best in Show. Four turnovers. Costly penalties (should you really be getting 12-men-in-the-huddle penalties in the 13th game of the year?). At times, neither really looked the part of a conference champion. But credit TCU for overcoming a lethargic start and credit Louisiana Tech for scrapping and pushing the No. 18 team in the land. Here's how it all went down in San Diego:

How the game was won: With the teams locked at 24-24, TCU got the ball at its own 31 with 6:24 left in the game. Unlike in their previous scoring drive that tied the game (read on), quarterback Casey Pachall moved the Horned Frogs 69 yards in just 1:58, connecting with Skye Dawson on a 42-yard scoring strike. The defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive and the offense was able to run out the final 3:33.

Turning point: Trailing 24-17, TCU put together its longest drive of the season -- an 18-play, 72-yard march that sucked up 9 minutes, 21 seconds of clock. The Frogs converted two fourth-and-1s and picked up a pass-interference call in the end zone, setting up Luke Shivers' 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 24-24.

Stat of the game: 100 percent — TCU's fourth-down conversion rate. The Horned Frogs were bad on third down — just 2-of-11 until late in the game — but they kept two scoring drives alive by converting all three fourth-and-1s.

Player(s) of the game: TCU's offensive line did a fantastic job keeping Pachall sack-free and holding off one of the better pass rushes in the country. It helped the Horned Frogs to 190 yards on the ground and on the final drive that ran out the clock, the line looked like it had worn down the Bulldogs' defensive front.

Unsung hero: Pachall's barber. Not too many quarterbacks can pull off the shaved writing in the hair.

What it means: TCU closes out its Mountain West Conference tenure with a sixth consecutive win for the conference in the Poinsettia Bowl. Coach Gary Patterson picks up his 109th career victory at TCU, tying Dutch Meyer for most wins in school history. TCU is now 6-1 in its past seven bowl games.

You saw the preview and prediction, now here are three keys for TCU and Louisiana Tech in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:

TCU (10-2)

1. Move on: No doubt, the Horned Frogs have to be a little disappointed after failing to reach a BCS bowl game after going in back-to-back years. But head coach Gary Patterson said that's in the past and they have moved beyond it. We know Louisiana Tech wants to be there. Every year there is at least one team that feels like it is playing below its station in life. If TCU is anything but 100 percent ready to go, the Bulldogs will jump all over them.

2. Something special: Greg McCoy, the Mountain West Conference's special teams player of the year, is a difference maker in the return game -- averaging 31.6 yards per return, good for fourth in the nation. He has two kickoff returns for touchdowns of 94 and 99 yards. TCU's vaunted defense creates a lot of punts, which means McCoy should have a chance to make an impact on this game -- be it in the field position battle or potentially breaking a touchdown.

3. Share the love: TCU has three stellar running backs in Ed Wesley, Waymon James and Matthew Tucker. Each brings their own skill set to the position and each will rotate throughout the game liberally, assuring that the Horned Frogs always have a fresh pair of legs running the ball. They'll run some option and misdirection with multiple-back formations. Once they get into a running rhythm, that will open things up for quarterback Casey Pachall to start looking downfield and make good use of play-action.

Louisiana Tech (8-4)

1. No home? No problem: Louisiana Tech has a hike from its Ruston campus to Qualcomm Stadium -- (temporarily renamed Snapdragon Stadium by the opportunistic folks at Qualcomm to promote their new processors) -- 1,609 miles to be exact. So what? The Bulldogs have won five straight on the road by a combined score of 140-76. In fact, it will have been almost three months since Louisiana Tech dropped a game away from home. The last road loss was on Sept. 24, a 26-20 defeat at the hands of Mississippi State in overtime.

2. Point of attack, and beyond: One of Louisiana Tech's advantages is its defensive line -- where 340-pound nose tackle Justin Ellis eats up space. Just as TCU rotates backs, look for a steady rotation of defensive linemen from the Bulldogs. They are also one of the better teams in the country at getting after the quarterback, ranking 17th nationally with better than 2.5 sacks per game. Christian Lacey and Matt Broha are outstanding defensive ends who could create havoc in the TCU backfield.

3. Good decisions: Louisiana Tech hasn't dropped a game since Colby Cameron got the starting gig. He can make all of the throws downfield to a solid group of receivers -- Quinton Patton (74 catches, 1,135 yards, 10 touchdowns) being his primary guy. But TCU hasn't been one of the best defenses in the nation for half a decade for nothing. It knows how to create pressure, disguise its coverages and blitz packages and keep quarterbacks guessing with its 4-2-5 formation. Cameron is a very good athlete, but his mental skills will be put to the test.

Here is what I will be watching from the non-AQ teams once bowl season begins:

1. Last hurrah for Kellen Moore. Boise State closes out the season in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas next week against Arizona State, bringing to a close the final chapter for Moore, the best player in school history. Moore already holds the NCAA record for career victories. Another win will mean he and his senior class will set the school mark for most victories by a group with 50. What Moore has achieved is simply remarkable — four-year starter, 3,000-yard passing seasons in each of his four seasons and only once did he throw double-digit interceptions (his freshman year, 10). He led this team to four top-10 finishes in the BCS standings, one BCS appearance and one undefeated season. His critics will point out that the strength of schedule has not been impossible, but it is hard to knock what this young man has accomplished with his consistency, his football IQ and his ability to will his team to victory. Boise State has lost three games in his time as a starter, and all three were by a field goal or less. Moore has elevated this program, and whoever replaces him will have an enormous legacy to match.

2. TCU says goodbye. It has been a nice run for the Horned Frogs in the Mountain West, but now it is time for them to say goodbye and move on to their new home in the Big 12. They closed out the conference season with their third straight league title, thanks to a huge win at Boise State, and now have a chance to post 11 wins for the seventh time in the past 10 years. A victory also would be career win No. 109 for coach Gary Patterson, which would tie him with Dutch Meyer as the all-time winningest coach in school history. Meyer was 109-79-13 from 1934 to '52, including national championships in 1935 and 1938.

3. How does Houston respond? One of the biggest questions in all of bowl season is what we will see out of Houston. This is a team that fell one win short of making a BCS game. Now the Cougars are relegated to the TicketCity Bowl against Penn State and will be without coach Kevin Sumlin, who accepted a job to coach Texas A&M. It is hard to know exactly what to expect out of Houston for several reasons. Its performance in the Conference USA championship game against Southern Miss was the worst of the season, it has to fight the distraction of losing its coach and it has to fight the feeling of playing in a lesser bowl game after working so hard to try to bust into the BCS. It will be up to senior quarterback Case Keenum to get his teammates prepared to play and motivated to find a little extra to get them up for this game.

4. Anything to prove? There are four bowl games out of 35 that pit non-AQ teams against those from automatic qualifying conferences: Boise State-Arizona State in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Western Michigan-Purdue in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, SMU-Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl, and Houston-Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl. Bowl season is always a great time for the non-AQs to prove themselves against teams from the bigger conferences, but without a big BCS matchup this season, these matchups fall a little flat. Is anybody going to take notice if the non-AQs go 4-0 with wins over Arizona State (6-6), Pitt (6-6) and Purdue (6-6)?

5. My favorite matchup: BYU vs. Tulsa, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Both teams have had solid seasons. BYU in Year 1 as an independent has a chance for another 10-win season; Tulsa survived a brutal nonconference stretch to open the season to make it back to a bowl game. Starting quarterbacks Riley Nelson and G.J. Kinne can run, and both have good skill position players around them. Tulsa linebacker Curnelius Arnick and BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy have put together great seasons and are fun to watch. When you start to parse the numbers, their wins have not come against the toughest competition. Of BYU's nine wins, only one has come against a bowl team. Of Tulsa's eight wins, only two have come against bowl teams.

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.

Well look who has a shot at making a BCS game.

Some of the pieces started to fall into place for TCU to make it to a third straight BCS game Saturday. That's right, the same TCU team that started the season 3-2 with major questions on defense, generally the strongest part of the team.

But No. 18 TCU (10-2, 7-0) closed the season with seven straight victories, ending with a 56-9 win over UNLV. That clinched the Horned Frogs' third straight outright Mountain West championship in their final year in the league. The big news of the day, though, was No. 6 Houston losing to Southern Miss in the Conference USA championship game.

That opened the door for TCU to potentially get an automatic spot into the BCS. If TCU can move up two spots into the Top 16 and finish ahead of the Big East champion, the Horned Frogs are guaranteed a spot in a BCS game. They also have to finish higher than No. 24 Southern Miss, which beat Houston. It is almost certain the Horned Frogs will finish ahead of West Virginia in the final BCS standings to be revealed Sunday night. What is uncertain is whether they will jump up two spots into the Top 16.

If that does happen, you have to give coach Gary Patterson a tremendous amount of credit for getting his team back onto the big stage. They opened the season without star quarterback Andy Dalton and took a 50-48 loss to Baylor to open the season, giving up over 500 yards of total offense.

The Horned Frogs also dropped a game to SMU 40-33 in overtime. TCU was ranked No. 103 in total defense after the first three weeks of the season. But things began to come together as this unit grew up. It had several young players, especially in the back end. Tank Carder struggled through injuries and finally started to play like himself midway through the season.

The big win, of course, was a 36-35 victory over Boise State -- a game that allowed TCU to climb back into the BCS standings and win the Mountain West. Now the Horned Frogs must wait and see what their bowl fate holds for them.