star_telegram
Any opportunity Sonny Dykes had to cement his position at TCU vanished on what should have been an ideal afternoon at Amon G. Carter Stadium. A home football game on Halloween during the fall semester ought to be a festive occasion, a chance for fans to dress up and enjoy themselves. Instead, TCU's matchup against Kansas turned into one of the program's lowest moments this century—and they won the game.
The crowd was dismal. Fans booed. Some wore bags over their heads, and it wasn't a costume. Others chanted "Fire Sonny!" It was an ugly contest between two struggling Big 12 teams that made for even worse television—one of those sad, awkward mid-afternoon college games that appears on your TV but few bother to watch. A program that competed in the 2022 national championship game rallied to beat Kansas, but it's difficult to see how TCU coach Sonny Dykes survives this development and the resulting momentum. A tenure that began with a rare mix of sadness, relief, excitement, optimism, and disappointment now feels effectively over. This is a matter of when, not if.
TCU was fortunate to defeat a Kansas team that amassed over 450 yards of offense but scored only 16 points. The Horned Frogs improved to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big 12; for a team with the second-largest payroll in the conference, its administration has every right to be disgusted and expect more. It should always be better than a narrow win over Kansas.
Dykes' job security has consumed the entire university, a talking point that is hard to stop for any school that funds an expensive football program. Once the narrative turns in this direction, it's nearly impossible to reverse. The resignation of chancellor Daniel Pullin just over a week ago has put this issue back on the desk of his successor, Victor Boschini. It was Boschini who served as chancellor in 2021 when football coach Gary Patterson resigned, coincidentally on Halloween. That was a painful decision laced with political landmines. The announcement hurt many in the fanbase and significant boosters. Patterson was an icon within the community who had made many influential friends. Dykes has not been in the job long enough to create the type of loyalty and support that Patterson enjoyed. Removing Dykes from the same position will not require the after-hours soothing and donor visits that accompanied Patterson's departure.
Dykes is 40-21 in his career at TCU, with a 3-1 record in bowl games; he led the program to its greatest modern-era achievement when it defeated Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl. That remains the Big 12's only playoff win. That season, Dykes won nearly every national coach of the year award. For one heaven-kissed year, no one in the TCU community complained about the head coach. Ever since Georgia trounced TCU 65-7 in that national title game, the Dykes era never fully recovered, and he couldn't win, even when the team won. A 5-7 record in 2023 was followed by consecutive 9-4 records and two bowl wins, including a memorable overtime victory over USC in the Alamo Bowl last year. Since the start of the 2023 season, the team has not been close to the top of the Big 12 or making the playoffs.
An ugly fight between teammates during training camp was a terrible start to a season that officially began with a loss against North Carolina in a game in Dublin that TCU essentially sold, against the desires of Dykes. Whatever the reason, the team is sub-average; Dykes may champion that his team has played five one-score games against Power Four opponents, and they are 1-4 in those games for a reason. TCU has four games remaining, three against ranked teams. The only win remaining on the schedule is Kansas State, a team so bad that the crowd for that game on Nov. 14 in Fort Worth will be worse than the one that showed up on Halloween. Saturday's home game for TCU should have been a lot of fun, but instead it was just awkward and bad TV. Rather than celebrate the win, its fans are just talking about the head coach's job.
Key Analysis
The fan apathy and vocal discontent underscore a broader crisis of confidence in Dykes' leadership. Despite a remarkable 2022 season that saw TCU reach the national championship game, the program has failed to sustain that success, and the Halloween game against Kansas served as a flashpoint for long-simmering frustrations. With a hefty payroll and expectations of competing at the top of the Big 12, the administration may soon face a difficult decision. The resignation of the chancellor adds another layer of complexity, but the writing appears to be on the wall: Dykes' tenure is likely nearing its end.
Originally reported by star_telegram.