TCU looks like it's worthy of a BCS bid

It appears putting BYU helmets and jerseys on tackling dummies year round works after all.

That certainly appeared so Saturday in LaVell Edwards Stadium when TCU humbled the Cougars in every conceivable way en route to a convincing 38-7 win.

Gimmicks aside, TCU really didn't need anything but polished playmaking to bury the Cougars and take a commanding step up in its predicted march to a Mountain West Conference championship with the 31-point win.

For the Cougars, that lofty title rung couldn't look further out of reach than the last two noggin-knockers with the Frogs.

After TCU beat BYU 51-50 in overtime in 2005, the Cougars returned the favor by beating the Frogs in 2006 and again in 2007 as Mountain West champs. But last year, the Frogs leaped over BYU easily 32-7 in Fort Worth and then used a bullwhip Saturday in Provo to distance themselves as the league's premiere team by an even larger margin.

Bronco Mendenhall, a master of measuring things, credited TCU's preparation and execution, calling it far beyond what he expected after a week when BYU had its best practice since he'd been coaching in Provo.

According to Bronco, if BYU is to climb back in the title scene with TCU, he'll need to elevate the Cougars' ability to execute at least two or three notches higher. He likes BYU's "talent and model," but he told reporters he needs to get more out of it. He vowed to look at every aspect of his operation from the off-season to daily practice.

Like a year ago, the Cougars — from the booth to the sideline and on the field — appeared bewildered with the Frogs right out of the chute. BYU never looked like BYU until the end of the first half, when it trailed by 14 points. Then it was spotty appearances the rest of the way.

Broken defensive coverages, horrendous untimely penalties, missed tackles, conservative play calls, a bunted pass for an interception, huge third-down defensive breakdowns, getting tricked by a reverse wide receiver pass — they all contributed to the Cougars' demise.

But it wasn't as if TCU needed any help. These Top 10 Frogs were all that and more.

They were clearly a Gary Patterson act primed and stoked to chase the BCS dream. The Cougars showed just how far off that dream remains as they accepted another TCU nightmare.

Bronco's guys were spectators in their own haunted house.