Previewing The TCU Horned Frogs Matchup vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

This will be the first meeting under the conference battle between the two teams, after they missed each other on the schedule last season. The Horned Frogs are coming off their hottest start since the 2022 season, their last time to begin the year 3-0, while the Sun Devils have rebounded nicely, winning their first conference game of the season against the Baylor Bears.

It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1975, and the first time the Frogs will travel West to play in Arizona since the 2022 CFP Fiesta Bowl. Playing on Friday night, though, is no stranger to the program, as they have done it at least once a year since 2015, and they are 7-5 in that time.

On offense, they will be led by one of the pre-season Heisman favorites in quarterback Sam Leavitt. He won the heart of the college football world down the stretch at the end of the season, and during their gutsy game against the Longhorns in the playoffs.

He has a supporting cast that includes perhaps one of the best receivers in college football, Jordyn Tyson, who is the first projected receiver off the board from some publications. Of Leavitt's 748 passing yards on the season, Tyson accounts for 357 of them, 48 percent of his total yards. Limiting the damage from that combo will be a big part of the Frog's defensive game plan.

Raleek Brown is their go-to back on the ground, rushing for 373 yards on 56 attempts for an average of 6.6 yards per attempt. His ability, paired with Leavitt's proven use of his legs, has given the Sun Devils a combined 591 rushing yards on the season.

On defense, the trio of Clayton Smith, Keyshaun Elliot, and Jordan Crook will look to create havoc against the Frogs' offense, as they have done against other teams all season. Crook leads the team in total tackles, with Elliot behind him. As a trio, they have a combined 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks, showing no problem getting in the backfield against opposing offensive lines.

For the Horned Frogs, this game could signal that they are back to their winning ways, something they showed brief glimpses of at the end of last season but have not shown since the 2022 season. Beginning with the Sun Devils will be a good litmus test as to where they are in the season, as they start their grueling stretch of the schedule.