A TCU fan’s road to happiness is paved with . . . asphalt?

In the course of an unconquerable endorsement of Texas Christian for the No. 1 ranking in college football -- its collective victims have won more games than any of the other unbeaten teams’ collective victims -- Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post offered full disclosure.

While extolling her hometown of Fort Worth for its “superior Railroad barbecue and the transcendent cheese enchiladas at the Paris Coffee Shop,” Jenkins confessed that her parents, who include the great sportswriter Dan Jenkins, “are both TCU alums, and such devoted fans that they have a monogrammed parking space at Amon Carter Stadium right next to the ex-chancellor’s.

“They once bought a house because it had a stunning view of the stadium from the back porch. ‘Gee, this is nice,’ I said, shading my eyes against the sodium glare of the lights. ‘You can walk to games.’

“ ‘No, I can’t,’ my father said. ‘What would I do with my parking spot?’ ”

Trivia time

For all the commotion perpetually surrounding the Dallas Cowboys, how many seasons ago did they last appear in an NFC championship game?

Sneering

If the booing in the stadium and the everyday barbs in conversations are any indication, the French maintain a rather hilarious dislike for their national soccer coach, Raymond Domenech -- even more so after a specious World Cup qualification.

Attempting optimism, Patrick Vignal of Reuters decided to point out the good in Domenech, and his nine cases for Domenech began with: “He has never won anything as a coach, a characteristic shared by most soccer fans. . . .”

Hoop fears

As anticipation booms in Kentucky and fans absorb every word of new basketball Coach John Calipari, Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that after a 102-92 win over Sam Houston State, Calipari said, “It was exciting to watch them going up and down the court,” and then paused, and said, “This may be, at this point, the worst defensive team that I have had.”

On a short leash

After the shocking death Thursday of 4-year-old Uga VII, the University of Georgia’s bulldog mascot, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution penned fine sentiment for the Uga tradition, writing that he’d met not only Ugas III through VII but also Otto, a four-game replacement in 1986 when Uga IV injured himself falling off his -- yep -- hotel bed.

And as Otto went 3-1 as a pinch-hitter, Bradley wrote, “I still remember what [Coach] Vince Dooley said that year: ‘We’ve got good depth at dog.’ ”

Trivia answer

Fourteen, since a 38-27 win over Green Bay in January 1996.

And finally

David Whitley of AOL Fanhouse, lamenting the lack of excitement about NASCAR dynasty Jimmie Johnson: “When he wins the crown this Sunday at Homestead, most of America will stifle a yawn unless he pops out of the cockpit dressed as Danica Patrick.”

chuck.culpepper@yahoo.com