There hasn't been a debut this spectacular in ages! We're talking about Sonny Dykes' opening act last fall at TCU, which would have been deemed a success if the Horned Frogs had qualified for the Texas Bowl. But they're still pinching themselves in Fort Worth after the 2022 campaign would instead conclude in the national title game against Georgia. So unlikely were those developments that the 65-7 pasting administered by Kirby Smart's Bulldogs didn't linger like such beatdowns normally would.  TCU's season had already qualified as a wild success and confirmation that Dykes (pulled from across the Metroplex at SMU) was one of the best coaching hires in recent memory. The wild semifinal playoff win over Michigan is probably enough to keep alums like Bob Schieffer and the Frogs supporters very happy for the next generation. The only somewhat comparable sporting development we can recall in recent years was Leicester City coming out of nowhere to win the English Premier League a few years ago. TCU backers, however, might wish to do without the comparisons to Leicester, which was just relegated from the top flight in May...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of TCU's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big 12 season.

Big 12 preview: Conference winner | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | Texas | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | West Virginia

2023 TCU at a glance

• Last Year: 13-2 SU, 10-4 ATS, 9-6 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 3; Defense 7
• Win total: 7.5 (Over -150, Under +120)

What do you need to know about TCU before locking in your Big 12 futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big 12 futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!