Prior to all of this legal maneuvering, the Dallas Cowboys were a very busy football team. One of the more interesting moves made by the Cowboys prior to the lockout was the announcement that they will be working out TCU quarterback Andy Dalton prior to the NFL draft. The Cowboys don’t intend to just attend Dalton’s pro workout day. The Cowboys are setting up a private workout for the senior. Dalton was 42-7 as a quarterback for TCU, and the Cowboys have publicly said that they like the way Dalton plays quarterback.

In 2009, the Cowboys drafted quarterback Stephen McGee in the fourth round. Dallas was convinced that it had a diamond in the rough with McGee, but so far it has not worked out that way. All of this quarterback talk has led to more speculation about the stability of current quarterback Tony Romo’s job. Romo has struggled his entire career and missed a large portion of the 2010 season with a broken collarbone. The Cowboys insist that McGee and Dalton are projects for the distant future. But fans are wondering if the Cowboys are lining up their options at quarterback for the start of the 2011 season.

New Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is known for his complicated defensive schemes. It will be all new to the Dallas players, so there will be a lot of learning to do. With the lockout looming for much of the winter, the players and Ryan knew that they would not have much time. But they made due with the time they had, and it was reported that nearly the entire Dallas defense showed up to classroom sessions with Ryan prior to the lockout.

It is unusual for veterans and rookies to get together any time before mandatory team activities. But the Cowboys knew that if they wanted to improve on their dismal performance from 2010, then they would need all of the time together that they could get. Hours were spent in the classroom before the Cowboys officially locked the players out of the Valley Ranch training facility.

The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of needs for the 2011 season. Most pressing are the needs for a defensive safety and an offensive lineman. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring, there is no current NFL salary cap. The last salary cap was for the 2009 season and it was set at $127 million. The Cowboys current player payroll is $137 million. Depending on what happens with the CBA negotiations, the Cowboys may have to cut some players just to be at the cap when the season starts. So don’t expect the Cowboys to make any big name free agent signings when the new CBA is signed and free agency is back in effect.

All that said the game that we will see is TCU vs Boise State, so lets break it down and see how these two will match up. First we will look at the defenses, in two categories, yards per game and points per game.

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TCU – Defense
Yards Per Game: #1 – 233.3 yards per game
Points Per Game: #6 – 12.4 points per game

Boise State – Defense
Yards Per Game: #13 – 299.6 yards per game
Points Per Game: #16 – 17.7 points per game

Defensive Edge TCU has a 5 point advantage on defense.

TCU – Offense
Yards Per Game: #4 – 469.1 yards per game
Points Per Game: #3 – 40.7 points per game

Boise State – Offense
Yards Per Game: #8 – 460.5 yards per game
Points Per Game: #1 – 44.2 points per game

Offensive Edge, Boise State has a 4 point offensive advantage.

TCU has the defensive edge in this game, and Boise State has the edge offensively. However neither of these advantages is very decisive.
The Dallas Sports Fans Prediction: TCU 21 vs Boise State 20, the Horned Frogs will pull the game out by a slim margin.

TCU Horned Frogs vs Boise State Broncos Point Spreads: TCU Horned Frogs -8
TCU Horned Frogs vs Boise State Broncos Point Spreads: Boise State Broncos +8

Here is an excerpt from the TCU website:

TCU chancellor Dr. Victor Boschini and athletics director Chris Del Conte have announced that football coach Gary Patterson has agreed to a new contract through 2016.

Patterson’s previous deal ended in 2014. As a private institution, TCU does not release salary figures.

One of three finalists for the 2009 George Munger Award, recognizing the nation’s top coach, Patterson has led TCU to a 12-0 record for the first time in program history. The Horned Frogs are ranked fourth and in position for their first BCS appearance.

“For numerous years, Coach Patterson has led the Horned Frog football team through many exciting seasons, including this year’s history-breaking season,” Boschini said. “He has provided student-athletes on the football
team a great experience, which has carried over to the entire campus and into the Fort Worth community and beyond.

“In addition, his work supports TCU’s overall goal to provide students with a total 24/7 university experience that includes great academics, an excellent residential experience and opportunities to see exciting NCAA Division I sports on campus.”

Read the rest on the TCU Website

ESPN College GameDay built by the Home Depot will be at the TCU campus Saturday. The show will air from 9 AM to 11 AM (live coverage will begin at 7:30 AM), but if you want to be seen on TV holding a funny sign or just be there you will need to get there much earlier than 9 AM. The set will be near Frog fountain in the TCU campus commons area.

Game Information after the Jump!

(4) TCU Horned Frogs vs (16) Utah Utes Game Information

TCU-Utah Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium – Ft Worth Texas
TCU-Utah Kickoff: 6:30 PM Central Time
TCU-Utah TV Channel: CBS – College Sports
TCU-Utah Betting, Odds, Spread, Line

• TCU -19.5 | Utah +19.5
• TCU-Utah Over-Under: 46.5
• TCU Over-Under: 33
• Utah Over-Under: 13.5



Photo Credit: http://www.tcugetwiththeprogram.com