Arizona football is on a short week with the TCU Horned Frogs coming to town for a Friday night matchup.
Arizona (6-2) and TCU (4-4) will kickoff with a late 8:15 p.m. MST start at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Friday. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Arizona enters the game as a 7.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is 44.5 points.
The Wildcats are coming off of a 34-26 defeat to Texas Tech, a result that could cost Arizona in its chances of competing for a spot in the
Big 12 Championship game. Arizona is currently in a four-way tie for third place in the conference standings (3-2), and the two teams immediately ahead in the standings own a head-to-head win over the Wildcats.
Arizona is 3-5 this season against the spread (ATS) after failing to cover the 4.5-point line against Texas Tech. Brent Brennan’s group had covered three straight games before Saturday. Arizona is 2-2 ATS at home.
TCU is also 3-5 ATS and is coming off a cover in its 22-16 home win over Kansas on Saturday. TCU was favored by 5.5 points.
The Horned Frogs, coached by Sonny Dykes, got off to an 0-2 start in conference play with losses to UCF and BYU. TCU responded with a win at Baylor followed by a home loss to West Virginia.
TCU has the second-lowest scoring offense in the Big 12, averaging 23.3 points per game compared to Arizona’s 34.9. TCU’s 22 points it scored against Kansas were its most in a conference game.
TCU’s offense is led by its passing game, which averages 276 yards, fourth-most in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State, Arizona and Baylor. Senior quarterback Jaden Craig, a Harvard transfer, ranks 11th nationally with 2,207 passing yards. He has 11 touchdown passes to six interceptions.
Defense is another story, though, as TCU has the top scoring defense in the conference with 14.1 points per game allowed. Arizona’s defense gives up 18.9 points.
TCU has held all eight opponents it’s faced to 21 points or fewer. Arizona by contrast has scored 21 or more points in seven of eight games.
