Around CFB: TCU enters national discussion with upset win over OSU

Good luck figuring out TCU coach Gary Patterson. He wants recognition, but he likes being unrecognized.

That seemed to be the message he delivered after last week’s 44-31 victory over Oklahoma State, which established the Horned Frogs as a serious contender for the Big 12 championship.

"We want to be relevant. You want to win enough to get noticed," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "It was also an advantage that no one was giving us a chance. We play better that way.”

So TCU plays better when ignored, but doesn’t want to be ignored? Well, the Horned Frogs must get over that because they no longer have the stealth factor.

They have other things going for them, though. They have a typically-sound Patterson defense, which limited Arkansas to 267 total yards and a mere seven points. Behind quarterback Kenny Hill they also have an offense that can win in typical Big 12 highlight show fashion, though they’re doing most of their damage with their running game. TCU is 22nd in the nation in rushing offense.

“I’m excited about the offense,” Patterson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “If you want to win championships, you’ve got to run. You’ve got to be able to throw, but you’ve got to be able to run the football, especially when you go on the road. When it counted, we had to run the ball.”

That running game, the defense and adequate passing from Hill have enabled the Frogs to get off to a 4-0 start and climb to No. 9 in the AP poll. They could stay there a while, too, with upcoming games against Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State and Texas.

But first TCU must get by West Virginia on Saturday. That might not be easy. The Mountaineers are 3-1 and ranked 23rd.

Games matching ranked opponents tend to get noticed.

Heisman leaders

Here are the weekly Heisman ratings based on how I’d vote if the ballot was due this week:

1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, QB: For the first time this season, Mayfield failed to throw for at least 300 yards. Still, he passed for three touchdowns in a 49-41 victory over Baylor. He’s passed for 1,329 yards and 13 touchdowns with no interceptions.

2. Saquon Barkley, Penn State, RB: He rushed for 211 yards and a touchdown and accumulated 358 all-purpose yards in a thrilling 21-19 victory over Iowa. He has rushed for 518 yards and four touchdowns. He also leads the nation in all-purpose yardage.

3. Lamar Jackson, Louisville, QB: Jackson had a “bad” outing in a 42-3 victory over Kent State. He passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. Thus far, he’s thrown for 1,387 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s averaging 431 yards of total offense to rank second in the nation.

4. Josh Rosen, UCLA, QB: Imagine what this guy could do with a better supporting cast. In last week’s 58-34 loss to Stanford, Rosen completed 40-of-60 passes for 480 yards and three touchdowns. He’s thrown at least three touchdown passes in every game. Rosen leads the nation in passing and has thrown for 1,763 yards.

5. Rashaad Penny, San Diego State, RB: Dismiss him for playing against Mountain West competition if you want, but Penny also rushed for 216 yards against Arizona State and 175 against Stanford. That was before last week’s 128-yard, three-touchdown performance against Air Force. He’s second in the nation in rushing with 716 yards and has seven touchdowns.

Predicted College Football Playoff Participants

(After week 4)

1. Clemson: The Tigers were sleepwalking through a classic “trap game” and were tied 7-7 with Boston College heading into the fourth quarter. Then, they woke up and scored 27 unanswered points to win easily.

2. Alabama: Note to Vanderbilt players: The only team allowed to say “Alabama’s next” as a threat is Clemson.

3. Oklahoma: The Sooners struggled against lowly Baylor, but still have that win over Ohio State to their credit.

4. Penn State: The mark of a great team is the ability to make clutch plays at crunch time. They don’t get any more clutch or crunchier than that last-play touchdown pass to beat Iowa.

Week Four notes

• Georgia’s 31-3 dismantling of Mississippi State is evidence that the Bulldogs are indeed a top-10 team. However, maybe a better item of evidence is their road win over Notre Dame. The Irish are 3-1 after blowing out Michigan State.

• He won’t get any Heisman Trophy support, but Iowa running back Akrum Wadley is an exciting and versatile player. In a 21-19 loss to Penn State, he rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown and caught 4 four passes for 75 yards and another touchdown. In case you missed it, he had a 70-yard touchdown catch and a 35-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the Nits.

• Fort Worth must be where the money is. Remember, in 2012 Texas A&M referred to third down as “the money down.” Well, TCU has converted 63 percent on third down (36 of 57). The next highest percentage is Wisconsin at 59.7 percent.

• Washington is looking more and more like a team that is going to repeat as Pac-12 champion. The biggest reason is that quarterback Jake Browning doesn't throw many interceptions. That’s pertinent because…

• Pass defense may prevent USC from winning the Pac-12. In the last two games against Texas and Cal, the Trojans have allowed 601 passing yards, but they’ve compensated with six interceptions.

• I groaned as ESPN2 broadcast team Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoracek and Molly McGrath rated the Power Five conferences during the Virginia-Boise State game last Friday. All ranked the SEC fourth or fifth, while ranking the Big 12 as high as second. Of course, that’s before Baylor — that lost to Liberty and Texas-San Antonio — played Oklahoma to a 49-41 finish. The SEC isn’t great, but has anyone noticed the conference already has wins over Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Notre Dame and Kansas State?

• New Mexico State hasn’t appeared in a bowl game since 1960, but the Aggies might have a chance this year. They’re 2-2 with wins over New Mexico and UTEP and almost upset Arizona State. Their game against Arkansas this week could be interesting if the Razorbacks have a hangover from their overtime loss to Texas A&M.

• The Big 12 once bragged it was the only major football conference to crown one true champion. Then, it had Baylor and TCU share the crown. Now, the 10-team league will have the top two teams play in a conference championship game. That’s fine. But what if say… Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU finish in a three-way tie. Which teams would play?