<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;For the complete listing of SI's preseason Top 25 rankings, click here.&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The defense has holes, but coach Gary Patterson waves away such concerns. \u201CLast year we didn\u2019t have any linebackers, we didn\u2019t have a quarterback,\u201D he says of the conventional wisdom. \u201CThis year I\u2019ve got to replace six starters on defense.\u201D Everyone\u2019s got pieces to find and plug in, he figures. But most teams don\u2019t get to rebuild around an offense packed with playmakers, including a senior QB who\u2019s a Heisman candidate.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Co\u2013offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie arrived in Fort Worth last season and promptly turned Trevone Boykin, a former receiver, into a dual-threat dynamo. Now the 6' 2\", 205-pound Boykin will look to improve on a year in which he passed for a school-record 3,901 yards, rushed for 707 and accounted for 42 touchdowns. Boykin says Cumbie and Meacham brought \u201Can attitude and swag\u201D to the offense, and Patterson notes that Air Raid attacks like the Horned Frogs\u2019 often hit \u201Canother level\u201D in the second season. Returning senior receivers Josh Doctson (a school-record 1,018 yards on 65 catches, 11 for TDs) and Kolby Listenbee (41 catches for 753 yards), plus senior running back Aaron Green (7.1 yards per carry) and Shaun Nixon (back after missing his freshman year with right ACL tear), will provide plenty of support.\r\n.mobile .si-list.hide-mobile { display: none; }\r\n\r\n\r\nTop 25 rankings\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t1\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOhio State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t2\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tAuburn\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t3\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tTCU\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t4\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tNotre Dame\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t5\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tAlabama\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t6\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tBaylor\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t7\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tMich. State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t8\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tUSC\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t9\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tFla. State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t10\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOregon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t11\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tGeorgia\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t12\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tClemson\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t13\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOle Miss\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t14\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tUCLA\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t15\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tArizona\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t16\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tBoise State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t17\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tAriz. State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t18\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tStanford\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t19\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tGeorgia Tech\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t20\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tMissouri\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t21\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOklahoma\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t22\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tArkansas\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t23\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tLSU\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t24\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tWisconsin\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t25\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tMiss. State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In a twist for TCU, it\u2019s the defense that\u2019s an unknown. The Horned Frogs lost their leaders in tackles and interceptions from a unit that was first in the Big 12 in total D, allowing 341.8 yards per game. Patterson praises the football IQ of his new linebackers\u2014junior Sammy Douglas and freshman Mike Freeze\u2014who are faster than last season\u2019s duo. Three linemen return, including 6' 3\", 248-pound senior defensive end James McFarland, who led the team with seven sacks. \u201CWe\u2019ve got a lot of questions that need to be answered,\u201D McFarland says. \u201CWe have the potential to be faster [everywhere] and more physical up front. Or we could be not that good.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As for early talk that TCU should make the playoff, Patterson has a response: Last season was about proving people wrong. In 2015 it\u2019s about proving them right.\r\n\r\n&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Opposing coach's take&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They\u2019re as explosive and aggressive on offense as any team in the country. You\u2019re more likely to beat them in a shootout, the way Baylor did last season, than you are to shut them down ... The key\u2014obviously\u2014is slowing down Trevone Boykin. You\u2019ve got to keep him off-balance and put him in predictable situations like second-and-11 and third-and-six. You let him get ahead of the chains with all the weapons he has at his disposal, and good luck, especially with their play-calling creativity ... When you\u2019ve got the ball, you have to be just as aggressive as they are. Gary Patterson\u2019s smart about his 4-2-5 defense, but he has to rebuild this season\u2019s unit, particularly in the back seven. When you get in the red zone, you better score touchdowns because their offense certainly will ... Remember, their last loss was in early October [to Baylor], so they\u2019ve got a ton of momentum. They\u2019ve always played with a lot of energy, and to a certain degree they\u2019re fearless.\r\n\r\n&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;X-factor&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He hasn\u2019t played in a real game since 2013, dislocating his shoulder after his junior year at Graham (Texas) High, but Freeze is already slated to start at linebacker. A converted safety, the 6' 3\", 220-pound three-star recruit has the size to match up with and bring down ballcarriers, but it\u2019s his speed that stands out. He\u2019ll need the versatility as he attempts to fit into the Horned Frogs\u2019 4-2-5 scheme and replace Paul Dawson, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, who wound up as a third-round pick of the Bengals.\r\n\r\n&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Schedule analysis&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Horned Frogs want to talk only about Minnesota, and for good reason: That\u2019s no cupcake opener in Minneapolis. Survive that, and the next daunting date isn\u2019t until Nov. 21 at Oklahoma, followed by a visit from Baylor to end the season. One trap: West Virginia, Oct. 29 in Fort Worth. The Mountaineers took the Horned Frogs to overtime in 2012 and \u201913 and lost a 31\u201330 heartbreaker last year.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n\r\nTCU 2015 schedule\r\n\r\n&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tdate\r\n\t\t\topponent\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tSept. 3\r\n\t\t\tat Minnesota\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tSept. 12\r\n\t\t\tStephen F. Austin\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tSept. 19\r\n\t\t\tSMU\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tSept. 26\r\n\t\t\tat Texas Tech\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOct. 3\r\n\t\t\tTexas\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOct. 10\r\n\t\t\tat Kansas State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOct. 17\r\n\t\t\tat Iowa State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tOct. 29\r\n\t\t\tWest Virginia\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tNov. 7\r\n\t\t\tat Oklahoma State\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tNov. 14\r\n\t\t\tKansas\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tNov. 21\r\n\t\t\tat Oklahoma\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\tNov. 27\r\n\t\t\tBaylor\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/08/03/tcu-horned-frogs-team-preview>