TCU football ranked 20th in Preseason AP Poll

TCU is ranked 20th in the Associated Press preseason college football poll released Saturday.

The Horned Frogs, 17th in the USA Today poll released earlier this month, are one of six Big 12 programs in the top 25.

TCU returns 11 starters from last year's 11-2 squad. The Horned Frogs are ranked in the preseason for the sixth time in the last seven years and eighth time since 2000.

TCU is the only school in the nation to win at least 11 games in six of the last seven seasons. The Horned Frogs have won at least 10 games eight times in the last 10 years, including seven campaigns with at least 11 victories.

The Horned Frogs are one of just four programs to finish in the top 15 of both the Associated Press and USA Today polls over the last four seasons. TCU is one of just three schools to win at least six bowl games in the last seven years.

TCU's 77-13 (.856) record since 2005 is the second-best mark in the nation.

TCU opens the 2012 campaign with a Sept. 8 home game versus Grambling State. It will mark the first contest in TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium after its $164 million rebuild. With a victory, Gary Patterson would become the Horned Frogs' all-time winningest coach. His 109 victories are currently tied for the top spot with Dutch Meyer (1934-52), who led TCU to national championships in 1935 and 1938.

Record

Pts

1. Southern Cal (25)

10-2

1,445

2. Alabama (17)

12-1

1,411

3. LSU (16)

13-1

1,402

4. Oklahoma (1)

10-3

1,286

5. Oregon

12-2

1,274

6. Georgia

10-4

1,107

7. Florida St.

9-4

1,093

8. Michigan (1)

11-2

1,000

9. South Carolina

11-2

994

10. Arkansas

11-2

963

11. West Virginia

10-3

856

12. Wisconsin

11-3

838

13. Michigan St.

11-3

742

14. Clemson

10-4

615

15. Texas

8-5

569

16. Virginia Tech

11-3

548

17. Nebraska

9-4

485

18. Ohio St.

6-7

474

19. Oklahoma St.

12-1

430

20. TCU

11-2

397

21. Stanford

11-2

383

22. Kansas St.

10-3

300

23. Florida

7-6

214

24. Boise St.

12-1

212

25. Louisville

7-6

105

Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 83, Washington 55, Auburn 53, North Carolina 32, Utah 30, Georgia Tech 25, BYU 22, Tennessee 15, South Florida 11, Baylor 9, Texas A&M 5, UCF 4, Cincinnati 3, Missouri 3, N.C. State 3, Houston 1, Louisiana Tech 1, Mississippi St. 1, N. Illinois 1.