K-State Wildcats football vs. TCU Horned Frogs: Prediction, kickoff time, TV

The details

Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

TV: FS1

Radio: KQAM (1480 AM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City

Line: TCU by 8 1/2

Prediction

The Horned Frogs will have superior talent and home field on their side, but this game feels more like a toss-up than the point spread indicates.

This is not the TCU team most expected when it climbed to No. 15 in the national polls in early September. Gary Patterson’s team has lost five of its last games, including a 27-26 defeat at Kansas.

It’s fair to wonder how the Horned Frogs will respond to that kind of losing skid.

K-State is in a similar position. The Wildcats are coming off a humbling 51-14 loss at Oklahoma.

Both teams are 3-5 and 1-4 in the Big 12. They each need a victory on Saturday to keep their dwindling bowl hopes alive.

The first quarter could determine who wins this game. The team that strikes first will probably receive a boost in confidence and build off that momentum, while the team that falls behind could be in danger of giving in to the thought of another loss.

The Wildcats could take advantage in that setting. Unlike TCU, K-State players have been here before. They rallied from a 3-4 start to make a bowl last year and seem motivated by the thought of another late-season turnaround. How much do the Horned Frogs care about a lower-tier bowl?

TCU has an obvious edge on paper, but the Wildcats could win this game with a superior mental approach.

K-State 21, TCU 20