Welcome to fall 2008 Horned Frog athletics.

Whether this is your first semester here, or your ninth semester, like myself, prepare yourself for a full slate of sports action.

Football

The program you probably care about the most is the football team. And what’s not to love?

The team isn’t half bad and is making strides to bring home its second Mountain West Conference title. But a couple of things have to fall the Frogs’ way to achieve this goal.

First things first, the team has to take care of New Mexico. Not just because it is the first game on the schedule, but it is the first conference game. We don’t need to be looking at an 0-1 conference record for four weeks after the first game.

Next,the team needs to take care of BYU at home. The Cougars are in the top-25 to start the year and have beaten the Frogs the last two years. Also, in an unfortunate scheduling move, TCU hosts BYU on a Thursday night following a Saturday game. Both times that happened last season, the Frogs lost.

Finally, in yet another Thursday game following a Saturday game, TCU will go to Utah and face another team that has beaten them twice in a row.

If the Frogs can pull out those games, there is no reason another conference title can’t come to Fort Worth.

Volleyball

Now we must turn our attention to what I feel is the most underrated and under appreciated varsity sport at TCU: volleyball.

The sport is fast-paced, the games are generally done pretty quickly, and the energy that is produced in the special events gym is electrifying.

Plus, the team is ever improving and won its first ever game against a top-25 opponent last season against conference rival Colorado State.

The only problem I have with the volleyball program is that only 12 of the team’s 30 games this season are at home, and that includes the first four games of the season.

Equestrian and Rifle

In September, you will see some action come from two teams that will be contending for national titles. Those two teams are the equestrian and rifle programs. Yeah, you read that right.

The rifle team finished last season third in the nation behind the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, which has now won three straight national titles, and Army, which if you are going to lose a rifle competition to any team, it should be Army.

The rifle team will only be losing one senior from last season and will only have two seniors this season. The six juniors on the roster could lead the team to its first national title.

The equestrian team finished last season a perfect 15-0 and captured the school’s first national championship, in any sport, in 25 years.

Soccer

The soccer team has the potential to get off to a hot start, with nine of the first 12 games at home. Yet, with only three seniors. you never really know what you are going to get from the younger players.

Because of all of this, I have a pretty good feeling this is going to be an exciting next couple months of Horned Frog action.