After beginning their conference seasons last week the TCU Horned Frogs and Virginia Cavaliers step back out for a Big 12/ACC inter-conference bout Saturday afternoon (noon ET ESPN).

The 2-0 Frogs, coming off a lackluster victory at Kansas, are favored by 17 points over the 2-1 Cavs, who just got their butts kicked by Georgia Tech.



View Virginia vs TCU Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Bettors looking to side with the Horned Frogs in this one will find them as 14.5-point favorites. Check back soon to see where the over under opens.

Power Rankings / Prediction: This game matches up the No. 11 (Horned Frogs) and the No. 72 (Cavaliers) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAF Power Rankings at OddsShark. A 59-21 result in favor of the Horned Frogs is predicted by handicapping models.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up TCU's No. 27-ranked offense (38 PPG) against a Cavaliers defense that ranks No. 88 at 30.3 PPG. The Horned Frogs passing attack has averaged 305.5 yards per game, more than the Cavaliers give up through the air (193.3 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Cavaliers feature the league's No. 104-rated road run defense, allowing 461 yards per game. TCU, meanwhile, ranks No. 26 in rushing offense at home.

Virginia was a 56-20 loser in their most recent outing on the road against Georgia Tech. They failed to cover the 10-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (76) made winners of OVER bettors. Virginia was hammered in its last outing, as Georgia Tech ran up a 56-20 score against them at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

TCU won its last outing, a 20-6 result against Kansas on September 15. TCU failed to cover in that game as a 20-point favorite, while the 26 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Casey Pachall throttled the Jayhawks defense in his team's most recent action, throwing for 335 yards as TCU handed Kansas a 20-6 defeat.


Virginia Cavaliers Trends:
When playing in September are 6-4
When playing on grass are 7-3
After being outgained are 2-8
When playing outside the conference are 7-3

TCU Horned Frogs Trends:
When playing in September are 9-1
When playing on grass are 9-1
After outgaining opponent are 9-1
When playing outside the conference are 8-2

A few Cavaliers at Horned Frogs trends to consider:
Virginia is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Virginia is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Virginia is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
TCU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
TCU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


Next up:
Virginia home to Louisiana Tech, Saturday, September 29
TCU at Southern Methodist, Saturday, September 29