Max Olson, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

TCU, WVU coordinator hires have clicked

This week in his Inside Access column, ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg took a closer look at the instant success that TCU and West Virginia have enjoyed this season thanks to their new coordinator hires.

Here's a portion of what Adam had to say about the rise of TCU's offense under co-coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie:

In mid-July, TCU coach Gary Patterson sat in an ESPN conference room discussing the College Football Playoff and how hard it will be for selection committee members to hide their biases. He listed several comparable examples.

"I haven't been around an assistant coach yet whose wife didn't think he was the reason why we won," Patterson said with a chuckle.

Three months later, no one would argue with Kendall Meacham and Tamra Cumbie. Their husbands, TCU co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie, have transformed one of the Big 12's weakest offenses into one of the nation's strongest in their first seasons on Patterson's staff.

TCU is averaging 192.9 more yards and 20.1 more points than it did in 2013, the biggest one-year jumps for any FBS team this season. The Frogs are fifth nationally in scoring (45.2 ppg) and seventh in yards (537.7 ypg), and quarterback Trevone Boykin leads the Big 12 and ranks fourth nationally in total offense (369.8 ypg).

The philosophical change from a traditional offense to the fast-paced spread has TCU in the top 10 and in contention for a coveted playoff spot. There hasn't been a more significant coaching change in the Big 12.

Adam also chatted with West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson about what has made his version of the 3-3-5 with a single-high safety so effective thus far. For the rest of this story, be sure to click here.

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