With a drop in these rankings, TCU’s brand relies on the success of its football team

Because nothing fights fall like summer in Texas, the only detail that wasn’t perfect for TCU’s home game against Oklahoma State was the weather.

On Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., outlined against yet another cloudless, hot, sunny day, two top 15 college football teams played for first place in the Big 12 Conference: No. 8 Oklahoma State (5-0) at No. 13 TCU (5-0) on ABC.

The late Keith Jackson would have enjoyed this one.

(Dear God, enough with 90-plus degree days. Maybe some rain; it won’t kill us.)

Every ticket at Amon G. Carter Stadium was sold. Because it’s college football, where the parking lot is now more appealing than sitting in the stands, tickets sold no longer means tickets used.

This turned out to be one of those days that school presidents and school boards dream of; the stadium was packed, the home team won, fans stormed the field, and it was must-watch TV.

Before 10 a.m., the OK State at TCU game was a point of discussion on the greatest free advertisement in higher education: ESPN’s College GameDay. Last week, TCU was the away team on GameDay when it anchored in Lawrence, Kansas for TCU’s game against the next Georgia, the Jayhawks.

At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, the tailgate scene was packed all over the TCU campus. The TCU bookstore, which now, like all university bookstores, are mostly just retail shops to sell merchandise and coffee, was doing brisk business.

The local liquor store, which is basically on campus, was just a bit crowded as the frat bros’ loaded up their flatbeds with cheap beer with the goal of falling in love for an evening or two with a fellow TCU coed who aspired to find love for the rest of their lives.

Regardless of the game’s final outcome, the scene itself was the win that TCU needs.

As long as TCU ranks high in the AP College Football Poll, and has a place in the College Football Playoff discussion, it can offset its drop in other ranking system.

According to the U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best College Rankings,” TCU ranks 89th nationally.

By comparison, Rice ranks 15th, Texas 38th Texas A&M 67th, SMU 72nd, and Baylor 77th.

The ranking is a surprising drop for TCU, which in previous years had been in the 70s.

As much as these rankings have come under badly needed scrutiny and criticism for its flawed parameters, and vague qualifications, it remains one of the best points of sale for a school.

Parents and kids alike rely on these rankings to determine what are the best schools, and a high ranking contains status in a society where status is currency.

TCU, like Baylor, has made it a goal to crack the Top 50.

The rankings are the rankings, and don’t be surprised if TCU is back in the 70s next year. It’s amazing what a few $500 steak dinners, or golf outings, can do for a school’s rankings.

Until TCU’s spot in the U.S. News and World Report goes back up, days like Saturday in Fort Worth are a necessity.

Now more than ever, TCU and schools just like it, have leaned into the madness that is the marketing power and reach of college football.

Schools all over the U.S. have tried to figure out a better way to recruit the general high school junior or senior to attend their university for four or five years; nothing beats a fun fall Saturday afternoon around a football game.

Privately, administrators and faculty all loathe the power of college athletics as the best method to market a school not named Harvard, Stanford and about 30 others, but this is the model and there is no way around it.

TCU has spent every single dollar, and raised so many more, to play this game.

Ever since joining the Big 12 in 2012, TCU has had its moments for a solid return on investment.

It won the Big 12. Blew out Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. The memorable win to defeat Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. It reached the Big 12 title game.

It finished ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll three times.

It’s been a while since TCU finished ranked, since 2017 exactly.

It’s 2022, and TCU is back in the discussion.

Until TCU climbs back up in the U.S. News & World Report’s College Rankings, the best way to reach prospective students (and impress donors) is the College Football Rankings.