TCU Fans Have Plenty of Company in College Football's Slow Start Club

Records through games completed Oct. 7, 2026. This comparison includes the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. Notre Dame is excluded because it is independent in football.

Well, this is not how I wanted to spend TCU's bye week. How about you?

The Frogs are 2-3. We've lost our first two Big 12 games. Baylor is next on the schedule. And instead of enjoying our Saturday off, we are counting on our fingers how many games we think we can win to get bowl eligible.

So I went looking for a little perspective.

Surely we cannot be the only fans staring at the standings and wondering what the heck happened to all that preseason optimism.

Turns out, we are not alone, and some of the teams might even surprise you.

Which Power Four Football Teams Are 2-3?

Across all 67 Power Four football programs, 12 teams have the same 2-3 record as TCU. Michigan State, Arkansas and South Carolina are among them.

There are 14 teams with losing records and five more sitting at .500. That makes 19 programs at .500 or below.

Here's the full group.

Source: NCAA FBS standings, checked Oct. 8.

Only Georgia Tech and Rutgers have lower winning percentages than TCU's .400 among those 67 programs.

That part does not make me feel better. But seeing the whole list does remind me how easy it is to spend a week focused on our own disappointment and forget that other fans are having the same conversations.

Michigan, Penn State and Washington Have Conference Problems, Too

This is the part that caught my attention.

Fourteen Power Four teams, including TCU, are 0-2 in conference play. Michigan, Penn State, Washington, Michigan State, Arkansas and Vanderbilt are on that list.

Yes, Michigan. And Penn State.

Michigan, Penn State and Washington are all 3-2 overall, so they have one more win than the Frogs. But none has won a conference game yet.

Michigan State and Arkansas match us in both columns: 2-3 overall and 0-2 in their conferences.

South Carolina is 2-3 overall, too, but has already dropped three SEC games.

I am sure those fans would also appreciate a Saturday that ends with a win and a reason to feel a little better about things.

Our latest Big 12 power rankings show where the Frogs fit into the conference picture. Looking beyond the Big 12 makes that picture a little bigger.

Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Clemson Belong in the Conversation

Oklahoma is 2-2 and has lost its only SEC game. Texas A&M and Auburn are both 3-2 overall, but each is 1-2 in the conference.

Clemson is 3-2, too, although we need to be fair to the Tigers: They are 2-1 in the ACC. Their conference start is better than ours.

These teams are not all in the same situation. Still, there are some very familiar names here, and a winning overall record does not always mean everything is going smoothly.

College football has a way of making that preseason excitement feel awfully far away by October.

Who Escapes and Who Digs Deeper This Weekend?

Since the Frogs are off, we can watch a few of these games without spending three hours worrying about our own team.

Let's have a little fun. Who lives to fight another day, and who digs a deeper hole?

These are my picks.

Michigan State and Illinois are both 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big Ten. Somebody has to get a conference win. I am giving Michigan State the home-field vote, which means Illinois gets another week of the all-too-familiar angry message boards.

I am also taking Washington at home against Iowa on Friday night. A win would give the Huskies their first Big Ten victory and a much more enjoyable Saturday.

South Carolina gets my toughest prediction. An 0-4 SEC start would be a long way from the season those fans hoped to have.

And Oklahoma losing to Texas would come with the added pleasure [sarcasm] of hearing about it from Texas fans. Nobody needs an explanation of how that works. I'd actually love to see an upset here.

Meanwhile, TCU, Michigan, Auburn and Clemson can put down the shovel and pick up the remote.

Back to the Frogs and Baylor

Of course, while misery does love company, somebody else having a bad Saturday does not fix anything for TCU.

We've lost to North Carolina, UCF and BYU, scoring 10, 13 and 10 points in those games. Our wins came against Grambling State and Arkansas State.

I do not need to break down a formation to know we need more points than that.

Aiden's look at TCU's offensive numbers explains why the season averages do not tell the whole story. Our BYU report card takes a closer look at what worked and what needs to improve.

There are reasons to keep watching and hoping. Kari Ashley has given us some of them, as this look at his role in the offense shows.

Now we get a week to catch our breath before Baylor. Kickoff is Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. CT in Waco, and Jason's Baylor film review gives you a closer look at what is waiting for us.

Who TCU Has Left and What It Takes to Reach Six Wins

There are seven regular-season games left: four at home and three on the road.

Source: TCU's official 2026 schedule.

The math is simple. TCU needs four wins in those seven games to finish with six regular-season victories to go bowling.

Beat Baylor, and we need three of the final six. Lose, and we need four of six.

For now, take the weekend off, Frogs fans. Watch some football. Remember that other fans are looking for answers, too.

Then get ready for Baylor. There's still a lot of football left.

Stay Connected

Keep up with the Frogs through TCU Horned Frogs On SI and KillerFrogs. Follow us on Facebook,X and Instagram, join the conversation on the KillerFrogs Fan Forum, and visit KillerFrogs.com to sign up for The Weekly Croak newsletter.

Today's best reads

• Big 12 Football Predictions Put the KillerFrogs Staff to the Test
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• TCU vs. BYU Score Predictions From the KillerFrogs Staff

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tcu as TCU Fans Have Plenty of Company in College Football's Slow Start Club.