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          Big 12 Blog

          TCU offense, West Virginia defense have upset status quo

          • Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff WriterOct 27, 2014, 06:10 PM ET
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              Jake Trotter covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011 covering college football. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him on Twitter @Jake_Trotter.
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          Three years ago, TCU and West Virginia weren't even in the Big 12.

          But this weekend, they will headline the game of the year in the Big 12, at least so far. ESPN "College GameDay" will be in Morgantown for a clash of conference newbies, who have turned the Big 12 title race upside down this season.

          TCU, which set new lows for offensive futility last year, is now breaking scoring records.

          West Virginia, which ranked next-to-last in defense in 2013, is suddenly shutting down offenses left and right.

          And after two dismal seasons, this dramatic reversal has catapulted the Mountaineers and Horned Frogs to the top of the title conversation.

          Sure, Kansas State is still undefeated in the league. And Baylor and Oklahoma remain in the mix.

          But for both West Virginia and TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma are out of the way. K-State has beaten Oklahoma, but still has to travel to Baylor as well as to both Morgantown and Fort Worth. Which is why the winner of Saturday's clash will be in command of the conference race heading into the final month of the season. And though the TCU defense and West Virginia offense have been dominant at times, the other side of the ball will be the one to watch in this game.

          The Horned Frogs' offensive unit has been the biggest revelation in the Big 12, if not all of college football.

          TCU ranked 88th in scoring last year. After their 82-27 undressing of Texas Tech on Saturday, the Horned Frogs top the nation this season, with an average of more than 50 points per game.

          Coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie have completely transformed the TCU offense from a plodding dinosaur to an unstoppable monster. The Horned Frogs have scored 353 points already this season. They scored 301 all of last year. Saturday, TCU burned through its allotment for touchdown fireworks, forcing the school to put in another order to cover the rest of the season. The Horned Frogs are also the only school in college football to score at least 24 points in the first half of every game this season.

          Quarterback Trevone Boykin has led the barrage. He has thrown for 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions, while spreading the ball around to big-play receivers Josh Doctson, Deante' Gray and Kolby Listenbee. That trio combined for 46 receptions all of last year. This season, they've already totaled 84.

          After TCU's offense, the most improved unit in the Big 12 has been the West Virginia defense. The Mountaineer defense finished off last year giving up 47 to Texas (in overtime), 31 to Kansas and 52 to Iowa State (in overtime) capping the worst season at West Virginia since 2001.

          Shortly after the season coordinator Keith Patterson bolted for Arizona State, leaving coach Dana Holgorsen with a major hire to make in a make-or-break season.

          Holgorsen didn't hit just one home run. He hit two of them.

          He promoted Tony Gibson from safeties coach to first-time coordinator, then flanked Gibson with longtime Penn State assistant Tom Bradley. The two have been a perfect complement to a West Virginia defense that was in desperate need of both energy and confidence.

          With a sneakily experienced collection of defenders, Gibson and Bradley have turned a once leaky West Virginia into one of the soundest in the league. Despite losing starting corners Daryl Worley and Terrell Chestnut to injuries in the first half, the Mountaineers held Baylor, which poured in 73 against West Virginia last season, to 26 points below its season average in a 41-27 win over the Bears. Then last week, West Virginia completely shut down Oklahoma State, coasting past the Pokes with a 34-10 victory. The Mountaineers were especially dominant in the latter downs, holding Oklahoma State to just 2-of-15 on third downs and 1-of-5 on fourth down.

          The Mountaineers now rank third in the league in both scoring and total defense in conference games.

          West Virginia had forever been known for its high-powered offense. Likewise, coach Gary Patterson had forged TCU's reputation on debilitating defense.

          But TCU's offense has taken the Horned Frogs into the national spotlight. While the West Virginia defense has given it a chance at its first Big 12 crown.

          This Big 12 race has been a surprise. Thanks to the TCU offense and West Virginia defense, which have been the biggest surprises of all.