TCU looked like a different team at Baylor. Jaden Craig threw for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 17-6 win in Waco. Reports called it the Frogs' highest-scoring game against a Power Four opponent this season, which says plenty about the rest of the schedule. The defense held a Baylor team that had won 4 straight out of the end zone, and Koron Hayward finished with a career-high 3 sacks.
So the matchup is TCU's pass rush against a West Virginia offense that wants to throw it 40-plus times. Hawkins carved up Cincinnati, but the Bearcats never got home the way Hayward did against Baylor. If TCU can get pressure without blitzing, Hawkins gets a lot less comfortable. If the Frogs can't, Craig will have to keep pace in a game played at West Virginia's speed, and TCU hasn't shown it can do that against Power Four teams.
TCU's injury list matters most on defense, where linebacker M. Short has been out since the start of October with no timetable. That's a hole in the middle against a West Virginia offense that will try to spread the field. Running back J. Pitchford is also out for the Frogs. Early forecasts call for low 70s, cloudy skies and an 11 mph breeze in Fort Worth, which shouldn't get in the way of either passing game.
Both teams are under water in the Big 12, at 1-3 and 1-2, so this is about hanging around the middle of the conference rather than chasing a title. West Virginia has to show it can win a game without scoring 45. TCU has to show the Baylor offense wasn't a one-week thing. Neither team has much room left.