It didn’t take long for the “TCU made a statement” and “TCU proved they belonged in the College Football Playoff” rhetoric to ratchet up after the Horned Frogs demolished Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve. TCU’s backers in the national media were ready to pounce.
Johnny Manziel looked the part of a back-to-back Heisman Trophy winner, as the Texas A&M sophomore quarterback shredded Nick Saban’s Alabama defense for 464 yards on 28/39 passing. But the Tide got a good performance of their own from quarterback A.J. McCarron and a lot from running back T.J. Yeldon. With the 49-42 road win, the Crimson Tide seem home free, at least for the balance of the regular season, but their performances both here and in the opener against Virginia Tech continue to provide more questions than answers.
The question that overrides all preseason college football coverage starts in the SEC West, and it’s simply whether or not anyone can stop Alabama. Not beat them—we’ve seen the Tide lose games on their national title runs, to LSU in 2011 and to Texas A&M last season. But it’s ultimately been enough—whether by generous voters in ’11 or legitimately winning the SEC West in ’12—to get ‘Bama into the BCS National Championship Game.