FanHouse GaryPatterson

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Gary Patterson really doesn't want to lobby the BCS for inclusion into its national championship mix.

The fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs' impressive body of work should be enough.

They are just one of six remaining undefeated teams in the country, and have collected quality road wins at Clemson, Air Force and BYU en route to moving into fourth place in the BCS standings, the highest such ranking ever for a non-automatic qualifier.

FORT WORTH – If you are waiting for TCU coach Gary Patterson to start lobbying for his team's inclusion into the BCS and possibly the national championship game, you will be kept waiting.

Patterson (above) can see far too many traps to get caught up in what the nation is talking about and that's that the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs could very well be the first of the non-BCS schools to punch a ticket to the BCS' grandest stage.

It's a nice thought, but with 14th-ranked Utah on the horizon in a mega Mountain West Conference game Saturday night, Patterson isn't even willing to give the BCS possibilities a thought. He's strongly suggesting his players don't, either.

The above video shows Brian Smith, a reporter for the student newspaper at Texas Christian University, saying he thinks TCU would be better off with incoming freshman Casey Pachall at quarterback than with returning starter Andy Dalton. Smith offers some mild criticism of Dalton and praises Pachall's talents, and overall it's a rather unexceptional commentary on the state of the TCU program. But when TCU coach Gary Patterson heard about the commentary, he was furious.

It's the year of the Houdini act for college football stars. Our most recent "now you see him, now you don't" star is TCU's defensive terror, Tommy Blake. We're happy to report Blake is back in camp.

"This was a lot of different things," [TCU coach Gary] Patterson said. "I gave him a little time to work things out and now we'll have to play it by ear. He had good practices up to the point he left, and we'll go from here."

It sounds like Blake is still a flight threat as TCU plays it by ear. He joins Oregon State receiver Sammie Stroughter and Nebraska tailback Marlon Lucky (hospitalized in the summer) as mysterious departures from their teams. All appear to be returning to form. I appear to be returning to scratching my head.

Previously at FanHouse:
Tommy Blake Goes MIA at TCU

Just ... weird. If the odd disappearance of Sammi "Where's Sammie?" Stroughter at Oregon State wasn't enough, pay attention to this one.

Preseason All America defensive end Tommy Blake has left TCU.

Officially, preseason All-American Blake was absent from the Frogs' two practices Thursday because of "personal reasons." He also missed the afternoon workout Tuesday and a single practice Wednesday.

"Is he still on the team?"" [TCU coach Gary] Patterson asked Thursday, repeating the rumor of the day. "Yes, he is."

Instead of being on the practice field, however, as the Frogs prepare for their Sept. 1 season opener against Baylor, Blake was back in his hometown of Aransas Pass, reportedly trying to sort things out.

"Up to practice No. 11, he was perfect," Patterson said. "Unbelievable."

And the next day, it seems, an NFL scout from the Jets showed up to watch Blake practice. And a scout from the Titans. And from the Saints, the Broncos, the Giants and the Bills.

The attention, witnesses say, appeared to bother Tommy.

Apparently! Hopefully Blake can work through all of this, but yikes. NFL millions await him, although this has to send a major red flag to higher-ups in the pressure-packed league.

(H/T: Burnt Orange Nation)