New York Times' prediction for TCU's 2009 football season

Though I have the Horned Frogs as the best non-B.C.S. conference team in the country in 2009, it’s going to be hard for T.C.U. to bust its way into a B.C.S. bowl. The schedule has me worried: road dates at Virginia and Clemson in non-conference play (though Virginia should be a clear win) and, as always, B.Y.U. and Utah in the Mountain West. These four alone should result in one loss, which will be enough to cost the Frogs – much to the delight of the B.C.S. – a shot at a major bowl trip. Which is a shame, because as we all know, what may end up happening is both the Big East and A.C.C. (if, say, F.S.U. beats Virginia Tech in the conference title game) sending a nine-win team to the B.C.S. while T.C.U. plays in front of a half-packed Qualcomm Stadium for the Poinsettia Bowl. In a perfect world, the Horned Frogs could even lose a game and still reach the B.C.S.; however, the current landscape is far from perfect, and Tostitos, FedEx and Allstate have made it abundantly clear that they want big-name teams, not T.C.U. (or any other non-B.C.S. conference team, for that matter). Would I love to see the Horned Frogs get there? Yes, few things would make me happier. However, as good as this team may be, I predict at least one stumble.