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2002 TCU

10–⁠2 (6–⁠2 Conference USA), coached by Gary Patterson, finished No. 23 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

TCU in 2002, game by game: lost at Cincinnati 29–36; won at Northwestern 48–24; won vs. SMU 17–6; won vs. North Texas 16–10; won vs. Houston 34–17; won at Army 46–27; won at Louisville 45–31; won vs. Southern Miss 37–7; won vs. Tulane 17–10; lost at East Carolina 28–31; won vs. Memphis 27–20; won vs. No. 24 Colorado State 17–3+30−7Lost 29–36 at Cincinnati-7CincinnatiWon 48–24 at Northwestern+24NorthwesternWon 17–6 vs. SMU+11SMUWon 16–10 vs. North Texas+6North TexasWon 34–17 vs. Houston+17HoustonWon 46–27 at Army+19ArmyWon 45–31 at Louisville+14LouisvilleWon 37–7 vs. Southern Miss+30Southern MissWon 17–10 vs. Tulane+7TulaneLost 28–31 at East Carolina-3East CarolinaWon 27–20 vs. Memphis+7MemphisWon 17–3 vs. No. 24 Colorado State+14No. 24 Colorado State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2atCincinnatiL 29–⁠3645%
Sep 7atNorthwesternW 48–⁠2454%
Sep 14vsSMUW 17–⁠680%
Sep 21vsNorth TexasW 16–⁠1074%
Oct 5vsHoustonW 34–⁠1779%
Oct 12atArmyW 46–⁠2781%
Oct 19atLouisvilleW 45–⁠3133%
Oct 30vsSouthern MissW 37–⁠763%
Nov 9vsTulaneW 17–⁠1075%
Nov 23atEast CarolinaL 28–⁠3170%
Nov 30vsMemphisW 27–⁠2085%
Dec 31Bowls & playoffvs24Colorado StateLiberty BowlW 17–⁠347%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Colorado State 17–⁠3 in the Liberty Bowl; No. 23 in the final AP poll; Conference USA champions.

In program history: The 20th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 123 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 13: 25
  2. Wk 14: 22
  3. Final: 23

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2002.

Conference USA champions6–⁠2 in the conference, shared with Cincinnati

Record
10–⁠2
Conference
6–⁠2 shared first in Conference USA
AP final
No. 23 peak No. 22
Points
361–⁠222
Coach
Gary Patterson
Elo
1659 +137 this season
SP+ rating
7.5 No. 47 of 117; offense No. 67, defense No. 37
SRS
5.2 No. 47 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 62
Offensive coordinator
Mike Schultz
Defensive coordinator
David Bailiff
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 29— allowed
Defense0.0own 34— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2002 class

Chad Andrus TE★★★No. 670
Jeff Ballard PRO★★★No. 670
Quentily Harmon ATH★★No. 898
Matt Hines ILB★★No. 898
Jared Retofsky ATH★★No. 898

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2002 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.800
Running backs12.00.767
Receivers13.00.800
Defensive line22.00.767
Linebackers12.00.767
Defensive backs12.00.767
Athletes and specialists42.00.767
Whole class112.20.773

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2003

The 2003 draft
Rd 5Adrian Madise WRDenver Broncos
Rd 6LaTarence Dunbar WRAtlanta Falcons

2002 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
TCU6–⁠210–⁠223
Cincinnati6–⁠27–⁠7
Southern Miss5–⁠37–⁠6
Louisville5–⁠37–⁠6
Tulane4–⁠48–⁠5
UAB4–⁠45–⁠7
East Carolina4–⁠44–⁠8
Houston3–⁠55–⁠7
Memphis2–⁠63–⁠9
Army1–⁠71–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.