TCU's problems are a different kind. The Frogs keep losing close ones: 10-17 to BYU, 20-24 to West Virginia, and now 28-29 at Arizona. That last one went sideways at the end. TCU stopped a 2-point try with 1:43 left to hold a 28-26 lead, then failed to field an onside pooch kick that Arizona recovered at the TCU 26. Michael Salgado-Medina hit a 37-yard field goal with 39 seconds left, and an interception sealed it. That's a special teams collapse, and those tend to stay in a coaching staff's head all week.
Look past the matching 4-5 records and these teams are heading in different directions. K-State has lost 3 straight and is 1-4 over its last 5, and the only win in that stretch came over Kansas. TCU is 2-3 over its last 5, and the 3 losses came by a combined 12 points. The Frogs have been close almost every week. The Wildcats have gotten worse every week.
The schedule also matters here. Neither team plays again before this, so both get a full week to reset. TCU also gets to come home after a late-night game in the desert. The forecast for Fort Worth calls for clear skies, around 65 degrees and a light wind, so the weather shouldn't decide anything.
For both teams, a bowl game is what's on the line. The winner gets to 5-5 with a real path to eligibility, and the loser falls to 4-6 with no room left for another slip. K-State is 1-5 in the Big 12 and needs Johnson back to have much of a chance. TCU is 2-4 in conference and just has to stop beating itself in the last 2 minutes.
