TCU won nine games last season and isn't far removed from an appearance in a national championship game but precious little of the spotlight was shining in their direction in advance of Monday night's matchup with North Carolina. And honestly, that makes sense because Bill Belichick was making his first appearance as a college coach and that's something few could possibly ever see coming a few short years ago.
Long story short, Belichick did not impress in the opener as the Horned Frogs cruised to a 48-14 victory in hostile territory. This was a far better outcome than what happened when TCU kicked off the Deion Sanders-Colorado era with a home loss to the Buffaloes.
Sonny Dykes had some media-based commentary after the win regarding that pesky "conversation" everyone keeps running into.
"I think we all felt a little disrespected, maybe, coming in," Dykes said. "There was a lot of conversation and none of it was about us. I think we all were highly motivated. Our players were certainly excited to play."
"I think we all felt a little disrespected, maybe, coming in. There was a lot of conversation and none of it was about us. I think we all were highly motivated. Our players were certainly excited to play."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2025
TCU coach Sonny Dykes after TCU's 48-14 beatdown of North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/KE43WKBzbg
Look, coaches are paid to get their teams motivated in whatever way works. Playing the disrespect card is a tried-and-true method as old as time. Dykes is not wrong in saying TCU was an afterthought in this whole event before they humiliated the Tar Heels. But that seemed to work out pretty well for them.
Now people are going to be talking about them and they'll be in the conversation. Meaning a new tactic must be employed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as TCU Coach Says Team Felt ‘Disrespected’ Before Facing Bill Belichick, UNC.
