The mic drop moment didn’t come in a big playoff win or a trick-play touchdown. It came in a June presser, when Sonny Dykes let it fly. No filter, no sugarcoating. Just raw honesty about the mess college football’s tiptoeing around—the Michigan sign-stealing saga, and Big 10 & SEC politics. While others danced around the issue, Dykes didn’t blink. He called it what it was: a moral headache with no clear fix and a culture problem festering in plain sight. The college football world might be ready to move on. Dykes? Not so fast.

The 2024 season marked a gritty bounce-back for Dykes’ TCU squad. After a 5-7 mess in 2023, the Horned Frogs locked in at 9-4 with a bowl blowout. But when asked about the Michigan sign-stealing scandal that tainted the Wolverines’ 2023 title run, Dykes kept it unfiltered.

“I think that’s the biggest thing… I mean, you know, you’re just now seeing the Michigan thing come down, and that’s really none of my business. I don’t know anything about that. But you know, that was a long time ago. And you know, the person that was responsible for that — or most of that — isn’t there anymore. And so do you punish the people that are there? Do you punish the young people that had nothing to do with it? I mean, that’s the problem that you run into,” Dykes said. “And so it’s a complicated thing. It’s not an easy fix. But you have to do something, you know what I mean?”

Dykes voiced concern that the longer the NCAA drags its feet, the more damage it does to the credibility of the game. “If you polled college coaches right now,” Dykes continued, “Nothing’s really being done. And nothing’s been done for a long time that we’re aware of. And we’re always told, hey, there’s stuff going on behind the scenes, but nobody sees it.” That lack of transparency, he argued, only fuels the perception that programs can cheat, win, and walk away clean. When punishment gets delayed or diluted, it signals that cutting corners might just be worth it.

Harbaugh (the guy who started the trend) might be chilling in the NFL, but his legacy’s still sizzling in courtrooms and compliance offices. The Connor Stalions saga—sneaky signals, shady sideline footage, and a whole lot of deflection—ended with Harbaugh dipping just before the hammer dropped. His replacement, Sherrone Moore, is stuck cleaning the mess. Moore reportedly deleted 52 messages with Stalions during the NCAA probe. Michigan’s response? A slap-on-the-wrist two-game suspension. Central Michigan and Nebraska.

Sonny Dykes doubled down: “You don’t want the adage to be, ‘If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.’ That’s not the world we should operate in,” he said. The problem, according to Dykes, isn’t just the act itself. It’s that, to many, cheating looks like part of the blueprint for success. And if the NCAA can’t—or won’t—rein that in, it risks losing its grip on the one thing that keeps this sport upright: trust.

But Dykes didn’t stop there. He pivoted to college football’s next big debate: playoff expansion. The SEC and Big Ten want a playoff model that practically rubber-stamps their tickets—the 4+4+2+2+1 format. This format gives 4 automatic-bids to Big 10 and SEC. Dykes clapped back with perfect NFL analogy: “How absurd would this be to say, okay, in the NFL the NFC West had better TV ratings than the AFC Central. So the AFC Central only gets one team in the playoffs, and the NFC West gets three teams in the playoffs. Are you kidding me? That’s supposed to be for the good of the game? That’s the most ridiculous, asinine thing that anybody could ever propose.” His point? This isn’t about fair play. It’s about power plays. And until someone steps up to protect college football itself—not just its biggest brands—it’ll stay that way.

Dykes isn’t alone in pushing back. Coaches like Mario Cristobal and Pat Narduzzi have already thrown their weight behind the fairer 5+11 playoff model: five highest-ranked conference champs and eleven at-large bids. No guaranteed seats. Just ball. Dykes wants that model. Most of America wants that model. But the guys with the money and the megaphones? They’re playing a different game. “I mean, look, everybody’s looking out for their own self-interests. And again, until we have somebody that’s looking out for the self-interest of college football, we’re going to have a problem.” Dykes warned. And he’s right.

Big 2025 for Sonny Dykes?

Beneath the sound bites and headline quotes, there’s another story brewing in Fort Worth: Sonny Dykes might have something real cooking in 2025. TCU didn’t just rebound—they retooled. The Horned Frogs finished 9-4, averaged 33.5 points a game, and held their own in the Big 12. Quarterback Josh Hoover straight up broke records, becoming the school’s all-time passing leader in a season with 3,949 yards. If you blinked last year, you missed it. But this offense? It’s back and it’s deadly.

The 2025 roster has Dykes fired up. “This might be the best roster I’ve ever coached,” he said. And he has reason to believe it. Hoover returns. So does the offensive scheme that made them so dangerous late in the year. They added key transfers like WR Jordan Dwyer and USC product Joseph Manjack to an already deep receiver corps. The offensive line struggled in the run game (ranked bottom 20 nationally), but with SDSU transfer Cade Bennett back and Nate Palmer emerging at RB, there’s real upside. The ceiling? Big 12 title contender.

Defensively, TCU’s been all over the place the past two years. But that late-season stretch in 2024? That was different. Under new DC Andy Avalos, the Frogs gave up 13 or fewer points in four of their last seven games. They allowed 24.6 PPG overall—not elite, but solid ground to build on. Avalos seems to have finally gotten buy-in. The return of All-Big 12 safety Bud Clark, plus a linebacker like Kaleb Elarms-Orr, brings experience. And the defensive line? Sneaky deep. Washington State transfer Ansel Din-Mbuh joins standout freshmen like Zach Chapman to create a real trench presence.

Then there’s the future. The 2025 recruiting class is the highest-rated in TCU history. We’re talking guys like Chad Woodfork, a pass rusher with freaky speed, and QB Adam Schobel, a potential heir to Hoover. Add in WR Terry Shelton, and it’s clear: this isn’t a patch job—it’s a full reload. TCU currently holds +1100 odds to win the Big 12, putting them just outside the top tier. But with offensive firepower, an improving defense, and a coach who isn’t afraid to speak truth to power? Boy, rude awakening incoming for Big 12.

Sonny Dykes doesn’t do quiet years. They are trying to clone another 2022 season. And 2025 might be the year Fort Worth goes full Fourth of July.