The Four Corners Schools: Football Programs At A Glance

Now that the conference realignment dust has temporarily settled, let’s look at each school’s football history.

2024 will bring another four new teams to the Big 12 – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah, collectively known as the “Four Corners Schools.” The last few weeks have been crazy as we’ve watched the Pac-12 implode. Before the next wave of conference realignment happens, we thought we’d look at the history of each school’s football programs. We also look at the head-to-head record each team has had with the TCU Horned Frogs.

Four Corner Schools At A Glance

Arizona Wildcats

• Location – Tucson, Arizona
• First Football Season – 1899
• Joined Pac-10 – 1978 (became Pac-12 in 2011)
• Head Coach – Jedd Fisch (3rd year)
• Stadium – Arizona Stadium
• Capacity – 50,800
• Year Built – 1927
• All-time Record – 623-496-33 (.555)
• Bowl Record – 9-11-1 (.452)
• National Championships – None
• Conference Titles - Six
• Pac-12 Conference Titles – One (1993)
• Heisman Trophy Winners – None
• College Football Hall of Fame Members – Two (Robert Waldrop, 2011; Tedy Bruschi, 2013)
• Pro Football Hall of Fame Members – None

© Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona versus TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Arizona Wildcats have only met twice on the gridiron, with each team winning on the road. In 1999, the two met in Fort Worth, and Arizona won 35-31. In 2003, the two played again, this time in Tucson, and TCU won 13-10.

Most recently, TCU has faced Arizona in postseason play for the last two seasons. In men’s basketball, TCU lost a devastating game to Arizona in the second round of March Madness in 2022. Then in the first game of the Fayetteville Regional in college baseball this summer, TCU got the win over the Wildcats on their way to winning the Regional.

Arizona State Sun Devils

• Location – Tempe, Arizona
• First Football Season – 1897
• Joined Pac-10 – 1978 (became Pac-12 in 2011)
• Head Coach – Kenny Dillingham (1st year)
• Stadium – Mountain America Stadium
• Capacity – 53,599
• Year Built – 1958
• All-time Record – 635-415-24 (.602)
• Bowl Record – 15-17-1 (.470)
• National Championships – Two (1970, 1975)
• Conference Titles - 17
• Pac-12 Conference Titles – Three (1986, 1996, 2007)
• Heisman Trophy Winners – None
• College Football Hall of Fame Members – Ten (John Jefferson, 1983; Frank Kush, 1995; Danny White, 1997; Mike Hayes, 2000; Ron Pritchard, 2003; Randall McDaniel, 2008; Pat Tillman, 2010; Bob Breunig, 2015; Jake Plummer, 2019; David Fulcher, 2021)
• Pro Football Hall of Fame Members – Five (Charley Taylor, 1984; John Henry Johnson, 1987; Mike Haynes, 1997; Randall McDaniel, 2009; Curley Culp, 2013)

© BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona State versus TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Arizona State Sun Devils have met twice on the gridiron, with Arizona State winning both. The two teams played a home-and-home series in 1974-75. ASU won in Tempe in 1974 37-7, then won the following year in Fort Worth 33-10.

More recently, TCU survived a first-round game in this year’s March Madness in Denver, beating the Sun Devils 72-70. 

Colorado Buffaloes

• Location – Boulder, Colorado
• First Football Season – 1890
• Joined Big Eight – 1948
• Joined Big 12 – 1996
• Joined Pac-12 – 2011
• Head Coach – Deion Sanders (1st year)
• Stadium – Folsom Field
• Capacity – 50,183
• Year Built – 1924
• All-time Record – 716-520-36 (.577)
• Bowl Record – 12-17 (.414)
• National Championships – One (1990)
• Conference Titles - 26
• Big 12 Conference Titles – One (2001)
• Heisman Trophy Winners – One (Rashaan Salaam, TB, 1994)
• College Football Hall of Fame Members – Eight (Byron White, 1952; Joe Romig, 1984; Dick Anderson, 1993; Bobby Anderson, 2006; Alfred Williams, 2010; John Wooten, 2012; Bill McCartney, 2013; and Herb Orvis, 2016)
• Pro Football Hall of Fame Members – One (Cliff Branch, 2022)

© Russell Lansford-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado versus TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Colorado Buffaloes have only met once on the gridiron. This was the Week 1 game in 2022 in Boulder. After a slow start – it was 7-6 TCU at the half – TCU won 38-13. After weeks of speculation, Chandler Morris started this game but was injured in the first half. Max Duggan came in, and it was the beginning of an unbelievable season for both Duggan and the Horned Frogs.

The two teams will face each other again in a Week 1 game when the Buffs come to Fort Worth on September 2. The game will be at 11 a.m. CT on Fox as part of Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff.” This will be the first game for new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders. 

Utah Utes

• Location – Salt Lake City, Utah
• First Football Season – 1892
• Joined Pac-12 – 2011
• Head Coach – Kyle Whittingham (18th year)
• Stadium – Rice-Eccles Stadium
• Capacity – 51,444
• Year Built – 1998
• All-time Record – 711-476-31 (.596)
• Bowl Record – 17-9 (.654)
• National Championships – None
• Conference Titles - 26
• Pac-12 Conference Titles – Two (2021, 2022)
• Heisman Trophy Winners – None
• College Football Hall of Fame Members – One (Isaac John Armstrong, coach, 1957)
• Pro Football Hall of Fame Members – Two (Mac Speedie, 2020; Larry Wilson, 1978)

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Utah versus TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs and the Utah Utes competed as conference foes in the Mountain West from 2005-2010. In those six seasons, the teams went 3-3, with TCU winning in 2005 (Fort Worth), 2009 (Fort Worth), and 2010 (Salt Lake City) and Utah winning in 2006 (Salt Lake City), 2007 (Fort Worth), and 2008 (Salt Lake City). Prior to the time in the MWC, the two played in 1996-97, with Utah winning both (Salt Lake City 1996, Fort Worth 1997).

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