TCU’s playoff history is a rich tradition of missed opportunities and questionable calls. With their first inclusion coming in 2022, the mind will always wonder about what could have been during that fruitful 2014 season for the Horned Frogs.
TCU Playoff Appearances and Results by Year
- 2022-23
- Fiesta Bowl vs. Michigan
The TCU Horned Frogs became just the second Big 12 school to make the College Football Playoff since the start of the playoff era. They became the first conference school since Oklahoma made the playoffs in 2019. TCU could become the first Big 12 school to ever record a victory in the College Football Playoffs.
However, the Horned Frogs probably shouldn’t have had to wait until the 2022-23 season to reach the College Football Playoff. Rewind back to the 2014 season, where TCU ran every team out of the stadium, save for a three-point loss to No. 5 Baylor in the early stages of October.
MORE: Who Won the 2022 College Football National Championship?
TCU destroyed every team in front of them and finished the season as the Big 12 champions after defeating Iowa State, 55-3, in the final game of the season. Yet, despite their No. 3 ranking in each poll when the College Football Playoff rankings came out, the Horned Frogs were dropped to No. 6 and kept out of the playoffs.
A move that has sat so bitter on so many shoulders over the years, even their 39-point drubbing of SEC foe and ninth-ranked Ole Miss in the 2014 Peach Bowl couldn’t cure.
TCU Playoff History FAQ
What’s TCU’s Playoff Win/Loss Record?
The Horned Frogs have a rightful claim to have at least one College Football Playoff appearance under their belt prior to the 2022-23 season. However, with their questionable absence from the 2014-15 season, TCU currently sits at 0-0 in the College Football Playoffs.
How Many Times Has TCU Been to the College Football Playoff?
TCU’s first trip to the College Football Playoff came on the back of a 12-1 season in 2022, culminating in a gutsy loss in the Big 12 Championship. In total, the Horned Frogs have been to one College Football Playoff, though the world will always wonder “what if” about that 2014 season.
How Many National Championship Appearances do the Horned Frogs Have?
In the College Football Playoff era, the Horned Frogs do not have a single national championship appearance. With just five different winners since the CFP appeared, no Big 12 team has reached the national championship since the 2014 season.
How Many National Championships Have the Horned Frogs Won?
With no appearances and no wins in the national championship since the College Football Playoffs debuted, TCU’s claimed national titles have to rewind the clocks back many years. As far back as 1938, TCU has two claimed national titles in 1935 and 1938.
When Was the Last Time the Horned Frogs Made the National Championship Game?
TCU hasn’t made an appearance in the National Championship Game under the College Football Playoff format. Their last claimed title is in 1938, though there is the unclaimed nature of their 2010 season. During the 2010-11 season, the Horned Frogs finished the season with an unblemished mark of 12-0, one of three teams to finish undefeated.
However, their place in the Mountain West Conference at the time largely precluded the likelihood of them ousting undefeated teams from the Pac-12 (Oregon) and SEC (Auburn). After defeating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl to end the season, TCU finished the year with a perfect 13-0 mark and a top ranking from the Congrove Computer Rankings, signifying their ability to claim a national title for the 2010 season as well, though they’ve chosen not to.
