Writer's note: The following has zero to do with TCU’s revoking the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s credentials to cover TCU athletic events. This too shall pass. FORT WORTH, Texas — Saturday was the first game for TCU head coach Sonny Dykes since he signed a contract extension in the spring, when the school did him a huge favor by handing him more money despite the fact that it was negotiating ...

Jon Denman #2 of the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs runs for an attempted first down during the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium on Aug. 29, 2026, in Dublin, Ireland.

Charles McQuillan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Writer's note: The following has zero to do with TCU’s revoking the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s credentials to cover TCU athletic events. This too shall pass.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Saturday was the first game for TCU head coach Sonny Dykes since he signed a contract extension in the spring, when the school did him a huge favor by handing him more money despite the fact that it was negotiating against itself.

Dykes loves this job, this town, and Auburn wasn’t hiring him no matter how much his agent wanted to sell that empty threat.

His team rewarded the school, and its gamble to move its season opener across the Atlantic Ocean, with an 0-1 start from a trash performance played before a nationwide TV audience.

TCU had every chance to win the game, but opted out as North Carolina upset TCU, 15-10.

The first game of a college football season is the biggest guess, and worst bet, of the season, but TCU’s loss on Saturday in Dublin to North Carolina is the “ugliest case” scenario to cap an August that could be a vision of the rest of the year.

TCU’s risk to play in Dublin backfires

In exchange for a coveted, exclusive national TV window that normally goes to those in the BigSEC10, TCU sold its home date against North Carolina to play in a city that averages rainfall 150 days a year, with a quarterback who had never played in an FBS game.

TCU moving its date to complete the home-and-home series with North Carolina to Dublin alienated a lot of TCU fans because it robbed them of the chance to watch a Power Four name at Amon G. Carter Stadium in a non-conference game. TCU had "sold” previous home dates with LSU and Ohio State, and while UNC is not near the power of those brands, it’s still North Carolina.

To attend the game in Dublin costs thousands, requires multiple days, and the decision disappointed a lot of people in the community who don’t have the money, or time, to do it.

On Saturday, TCU received the attention and publicity it wanted, but this is the case where “Any good press is good press” does not apply. This was not the free point-of-sale exposure TCU wanted because the team played so poorly.

TCU’s preferred play was “Ugly on 3”; it looked like rather than water or Gatorade, players may have been downing Guinness. That would explain at least some of the performance.

Quarterback Jaden Craig confirmed that he’s a good Ivy League passer, and the head coach was outcoached by a man who made a reputation that sometimes the best way to win a game is to simply not screw up.

The qualifier Craig deserves is that much of the game was played in the rain; throwing a wet ball is miserable. But he looked stiff, and his receivers didn’t help him.

TCU was 1 of 5 on fourth downs, including two in the second half where it was inside the UNC 20-yard-line. TCU committed 11 penalties for 89 yards, including a game-sealing false start when UNC was trying to draw TCU offside on a fourth-and-short.

Dublin losers have not fared well

Rather than start the season 1-0 for the second consecutive season by defeating Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels, TCU instead joined the growing list of favorites who left Dublin with an upset loss.

Four of the last five favorites in the Dublin game left 0-1. The previous three losers went on to have blah seasons. Those “Three Irish Tenors” finished their respective seasons without a winning record, and none played in a bowl game.

For more Fun with Numbers: The last time TCU started the season 0-1, in 2023, it finished 5-7.

That season TCU started at home against Deion Sanders, who was making his coaching debut at Colorado. That too drew a national audience, and a big crowd, for a TCU loss.

Determining which loss is worse, or more embarrassing, is like asking which piece of dog poop tastes better.

The TCU-North Carolina game was an afternoon of two average teams playing on a wet field.

There are no excuses. TCU looked average, played badly, and the coach with a shiny new extension got hoodied.

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