TCU walked into Saturday’s Big 12 opener with a plan built around a perfect September. The Horned Frogs wanted to be 4-0, crack the Top 25 and set themselves up to draw ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the Oct. 3 visit from No. 9 BYU.
Instead, they left Orlando staring at a far less glamorous reality.
Against a Central Florida team missing its starting quarterback and three other starters, TCU turned in a messy 21-13 loss that exposed just about every flaw it could afford to hide. The Horned Frogs lost the turnover battle minus-2, piled up 11 penalties for 86 yards, mismanaged the clock and managed only 1.2 yards per carry on the ground.
That was supposed to be the softer landing spot in the schedule. It wasn’t.
One month into the season, TCU sits at 2-2, 0-2 against Power Four opponents, and averaging just 11.5 points per game in those losses. The season is not over, but it sure looks and feels shaky.
And that puts Sonny Dykes in a familiar but complicated spot at quarterback.
For the third time in his five-year run at TCU, Dykes is starting a quarterback while the backup may be the better option. This time, though, the decision is tangled up in a reality that has changed college football: money.
Jaden Craig transferred from Harvard in the offseason and signed with TCU for a lot of money. That matters.
He is the highest-paid player on the team, and benching him is not the same as making a football-only decision. Sophomore Adam Schobel is the No. 2 quarterback, but he did not play as a freshman in 2025 and has only one pass attempt this season.
Craig entered the year as something of a calculated gamble because of his Ivy League background, and so far the concerns have shown up against Power Four competition. In losses to North Carolina and Central Florida, he has gone 45-of-72 for 485 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. He also has 10 carries for minus-38 yards, with sacks counting against the rushing total in college football.
He has not gotten much help from his receivers, but the limitations are obvious. Craig can throw, but he is not mobile, and when the pocket breaks down, he cannot turn chaos into production. He looks like a quarterback built for the Ivy League.
Under a different system, that kind of start might have sent him to the bench already. In this one, it’s not so simple.
Dykes has been through this before. In 2022, he named Chandler Morris the starter, only for an injury in Week 1 to open the door for Max Duggan, who then led TCU to history.
In 2023, Morris won the job again before a knee injury in the sixth game at Iowa State pushed Josh Hoover into the lineup. Hoover held onto the job until he left the program after the end of the 2025 regular season.
This time, though, the economics are different. Power Four quarterbacks are paid big money in 2026, and moving away from the starter who got that investment carries a cost.
That makes the next few weeks tricky. It is hard to picture Dykes benching Craig before BYU comes to Fort Worth.
If TCU wants to give Schobel a real look, Baylor on Oct. 17 may be the cleaner opening. The Horned Frogs have a bye after hosting BYU, which would give Schobel two full weeks of first-team reps before that trip to Waco.
The larger concern is that TCU’s current slide does not feel like the finishing kick the program has used in recent years. Since the national title-game run in 2022, the Horned Frogs have gone through uneven stretches every season, including ugly runs in 2024 and 2025 before rallying late. This start feels different.
It feels more like 2023, when TCU opened 3-1 before crashing to a 5-7 finish and missing a bowl. That team’s defense was one of the worst in FBS football.
This one is better. The offense, though, is not carrying its weight.
Right now, TCU looks like an average team that needs more from its quarterback to cover the holes and mistakes around him. Craig is not providing that lift. In another era, he might already be on the bench.
In today’s pay-for-play world, he may get a little more time.
In Other News...
TCUs Big 12 Hopes Suddenly Look Fragile For One Clear Reason
The 21-13 loss to Central Florida left Sonny Dykes sounding more concerned than frustrated, and it was easy to hear why. TCUs offensive issues have become impossible to ignore, especially on the ground, where the Horned Frogs are producing less than they did a year ago while the front five has struggled to keep the offense on schedule.
In a Big 12 race where every possession matters, those problems loom even larger with No. 9 BYU next on the list. TCU has already put itself behind the pace it needs to stay in the mix, and unless the rushing attack and protection improve quickly, the margin for error is going to keep shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Just Gave Fans A Brutal Reason To Worry Before BYU
TCU opened Big 12 play with a frustrating 21-13 loss to UCF, a game that had enough positive flashes to keep the Horned Frogs from looking hopeless, but not nearly enough clean execution to leave anyone feeling good about where the season is headed. The defense did its part by forcing multiple turnovers, and wide receiver Jordan Dwyer returned to the lineup, but the offense never found a steady rhythm and the mistakes piled up in the form of 11 penalties.
Jaden Craig still managed 310 passing yards, yet the two interceptions were part of a night that kept the Frogs chasing the game instead of controlling it. Missed opportunities were the theme, and with BYU coming next week, TCU is suddenly carrying a fair amount of baggage into a matchup that will demand much sharper execution on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs Big 12 Win Still Left One Early Concern
TCUs first Big 12 outing of the season ended in a 21-13 loss to UCF, and the box score left at least one obvious question hanging over the Horned Frogs offense. The Frogs actually outgained UCF in total yards, but they never turned that advantage into enough points, in part because the running game never got going and the offense kept putting itself behind the sticks with turnovers and penalties.
Jordan Dwyer, Jeremy Scott and Jeremy Payne each helped move the ball at different points, but inconsistent protection and four turnovers repeatedly interrupted any rhythm. There were encouraging signs on the other side of the ball, too, as TCU held UCF down on the ground and finished with two sacks, yet the defenses work was not enough to cover for an offense that kept missing chances. [Read more 🡒]