TCU and Stanford begin the 2024 college football season with a showdown on Friday night at Stanford Stadium in the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs. The Cardinal will play their first game as an official member of the ACC after being affiliated with conference ties on the West Coast for nearly the last century.
TCU is coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign less than a season removed from falling to Georgia in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. The Horned Frogs opened last season with a loss to Colorado at home and will open the season away from the Lone Star State against an ACC team for the first time since 2009.
Stanford was tabbed to finish last in the ACC preseason poll and will enter Year 2 of the Troy Taylor era looking to improve after a 3-9 campaign last season. Stanford is among the leaders in total returning production, and headlining that group is star wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, who led his team in catches (62), yards (1,013), and touchdowns (six).
The Horned Frogs are seeking a return to a bowl game after finishing three of the last five seasons with a losing record. TCU was picked to finish No. 10 in the Big 12 preseason media poll behind conference newcomers Utah and Arizona.
Here is what you need to know before Stanford faces TCU.
How to watch TCU vs. Stanford live
Date: Friday, Aug. 30 | Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Stanford Stadium -- Stanford, California
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
TCU vs. Stanford: Need to know
Stanford will be improved in Year 2 under Troy Taylor: After putting the West Coast on notice under Jim Harbaugh and during the early years of David Shaw's tenure, the Stanford program has fallen on tough times. The Cardinal have won less than four games in each of the last five seasons (Stanford went 4-2 during the COVID-shortened season in 2020). Taylor was hired away from his post at FCS Sacramento State to resurrect a once proud program, and his footprints are already over the rebuild. Stanford's 2024 recruiting class finished 31st in the 247Sports team rankings, and 12 members of that recruiting class are on the two-deep depth chart to start the season. More reason for optimism: Stanford returns 85% of its returning production from last season — a strong indicator that success is on the horizon despite being picked to finish last in the ACC preseason poll.
TCU's defense will have a new look in 2024: After finishing last season ranked near the bottom in total defense, TCU fired DC Joe Gillespie and replaced him with former Boise State coach Andy Avalos. The former Mountain West Coach of the Year runs a 4-2-5 defense, which could open more opportunities for TCU's pass rush to get home and create more sacks. Under Gillespie, TCU ran a 3-3-5 defense, which forced defensive linemen into routine double-teams and a sack rate of 5.7% - which ranked near the middle of the pack among all FBS teams. A name to watch on the defensive line is Notre Dame transfer NaNa Osaki-Mensah, who recorded three sacks last fall. TCU also hired former Nevada coach Ken Wilson this past offseason to coach linebackers.
The quarterback matchup is one to watch: Dating back to his time at Sacramento State, Taylor has routinely used two quarterbacks, and it should be no different this season. While Ashton Daniels is expected to receive most of the reps, Justin Lamson will be brought in as a change-of-pace quarterback. Stanford's depth chart also features four-star freshman Elijah Brown -- the crown jewel of its 2024 recruiting class -- as a potential option. On the other side, TCU will be rolling with Josh Hoover, who started the final six games of last season and finished with 2,206 passing yards and 15 touchdowns.
TCU vs. Stanford prediction, picks
Opening games are the hardest to predict because of the uncertainty on both sides, but Stanford with the points seems like the safest bet. The Cardinal are returning most of their production from last season and should be significantly improved in Year 2 of Taylor's tenure. Stanford should be able to create explosive plays in the passing game with Ayomanor, and that could be the difference. It wouldn't be surprising if Stanford pulled off the upset and won outright. Pick: Stanford +9.5
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