The odds of a colossal upset occurring in Fort Worth on Saturday are slim. The Horned Frogs may even be looking forward to their next game against Air Force, given the nature of TCU’s win last season in Ford Stadium.

Who would blame them given the past?

After all, the Horned Frogs are undefeated, holding a No.11 ranking in the AP polls and are playing a team that averages 3.67 turnovers a game.

However, this game does resemble another rivalry game between the Mustangs and Horned Frogs that could potentially ruin TCU’s chances for a perfect season.

After starting the 2005 season with a huge win over Oklahoma, the Horned Frogs visited rival SMU. The Mustangs beat TCU 21-10 and were the Horned Frogs’ only loss of the season.

Maybe TCU was drained after beating Oklahoma or they were busy looking ahead to their next game against Utah. Whatever the reason, 2005 proved that an upset can happen in this cross-town rivalry.

TCU has played three straight games and has an important game against Air Force next week. The reasons for TCU to come out of the gate slow are numerous.

However, for TCU to lose, SMU will have to play a perfect game.

There is one key aspect of the game that should worry TCU fans if it starts going SMU’s way: turnovers.

The SMU defense may give up a lot of yards, but has forced enough turnovers to be ranked second in the nation even after a bye week in turnovers forced.

However, the same applies for SMU’s offense. SMU sophomore quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has thrown three interceptions in eight games. If SMU is going to pull off a massive upset, Mitchell will need to play the best game he has ever played at SMU.

If the turnovers go in favor of the Mustangs, they will still need a little luck to get a win.

The nature of a rivalry game, and the Mustangs loss to Washington State two weeks ago after leading by three possessions, almost ensures that SMU will not look emotionless or unprepared.

While I will not predict an upset this year, I am willing to predict that the game will be closer than most TCU fans expect. The main reason is the Mustangs clearly believe in themselves this year.

Unlike last year, the fans, players and coaches have hope that SMU can produce a winning season. Hope has been missing from the SMU program for the last couple of years. A win over TCU would certainly turn hope into belief and give the SMU football program a huge lift.

In this game, the Horned Frogs have everything to lose, and the Mustangs have nothing to lose. Desperate and hungry teams are dangerous. If TCU looks past this game to next week, Saturday will spell trouble for the Horned Frogs undefeated season.

Zack Wehner is a senior staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].