TCU vs. Texas 2012: TV schedule, game time, spread and more

While Texas A&M has found great success in the SEC, their departure has left a giant hole in college football in Texas, as the Longhorns and the Aggies won't be playing in Thanksgiving week for the first time in nearly a century.

Instead, TCU, the newest addition to the Big 12 and an old SWC rival of Texas, will be in Austin on Thursday.

The game, which will be nationally televised on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. ET, will be between two young teams looking to finish an inconsistent season on a strong note.

The Longhorns, after bottoming out with a 63-21 loss to OU on Oct. 13, have won their last four games to move their record to 8-2.

With freshman RB Johnathan Gray and sophomore QB David Ash becoming entrenched in the Texas backfield, the big question for the last two weeks of 2012 is the Longhorns defense, which has rebounded from a historically bad start to the year.

On the other sideline, TCU has gotten solid play from redshirt freshman QB Trevone Boykin, who was thrust into the role after Casey Pachall's departure in the middle of the season.

And while the Frogs are only 6-4, they've been competitive in nearly every game, so Texas, an 81/2-point favorite, can't afford to look ahead to their season-ending showdown with Kansas State next week.