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Paolo UggettiESPN
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — TCU coach Sonny Dykes says his program has always been in a “fight for credibility” and noted the additional challenges the Horned Frogs have gone through this season to reach the College Football Playoff.
“Nobody anticipated us being here,” Dykes said Thursday during media day for the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. “I think there’s been a lot of things that have occurred this year beyond people’s expectations.”
Despite going undefeated until the Big 12 championship game, the Horned Frogs have leaned into an underdog mentality while reaching the CFP for the first time. They will face No. 2 Michigan on Saturday with the Wolverines, the winningest program in college football history, favored by more than a touchdown.
“It’s easy to slip in that role [against Michigan],” linebacker Johnny Hodges said. “We’ve been in that role all season.”
The doubts began with TCU voted to finish seventh in the Big 12 preseason poll ahead of what was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the program in Dykes’ first year. But through a cultural overhaul and influx of talent from the transfer portal, the Horned Frogs have put together an improbable run that has them two games from a national title.
“Every time we get on a big stage like this, it’s an opportunity for us to create a bigger brand and create more credibility,” Dykes said. “We know that’s earned, certainly not given. We don’t want it to be given, but it all begins there where, you know, we go out and play well and people respect us and we do it consistently.”
Dykes pointed to TCU’s path to reach the Big 12 a decade ago, saying the school was an “also-ran” in the old Southwest Conference that had to “battle and pull themselves by bootstraps.”
That battle Dykes referenced goes beyond this weekend’s matchup. Dykes said the Horned Frogs were challenged this season by having to play 11 weeks in a row and, unlike in the SEC, having to face nine conference opponents, not eight.
“You’re not going to catch The Citadel in Week 10,” Dykes said. “We caught Texas.”
Dykes credited the SEC for having great teams but said the scheduling advantage was an underdiscussed aspect as to why some conferences have had more teams make it to the College Football Playoff than others.
Despite the fact that the importance of this game for TCU might go beyond the result, players and coaches seemed to have adopted a relaxed mentality in the face of an opponent that hasn’t lost and has dominated nearly every game. In some ways, it has felt like this entire season has been found money. And yet, a win — or maybe two — would continue the theme of this campaign: surpassing expectations.
“Man, nobody thought we’d win five games, much less 12,” senior guard Wes Harris said. “Everybody’s saying we’ll get blown out, yada yada. Different game, same story. I feel like there ain’t no pressure on us. We’re not even supposed to be here. We’re supposed to be [ranked] like 150th, dude. So we got nothing to lose.”