LOS ANGELES, Calif. – In real life, Goliath wallops David. Ask the Horned Frogs. 

TCU received a taste of the top echelon of college football, and it was bittersweet. The magical ride the Horned Frogs experienced throughout 2022 was snuffed out in the 2023 College Football Playoff national championship game thanks to a 65-7 loss to a Georgia team that became the first to repeat in the CFP era. 

The 65 points allowed was the most in a CFP championship game. The team in purple had no answer for Bennett. Or Bowers. Or Bullard. The SEC has won each of the last four titles, and 13 of the most recent 17. The last team to repeat was Alabama a decade ago. And with Texas and Oklahoma joining soon, the vice grip on the sport feels tighter than ever. Include that pair and the SEC possesses four of the top five recruiting classes in the 2023 cycle. 

The stage wasn’t too big for Sonny Dykes & Co., but the talent gap proved substantial. Georgia, which entered the season ranked third in the AP Poll, scored on each of its six offensive possessions in the first half, including five touchdowns. TCU wasn’t big or fast enough to handle the Bulldogs on the ground or through the air. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett accounted for four scores and over 250 yards of total offense in the first half. 

“I’m disappointed we didn’t make a better showing tonight because that’s not indicative of who we are,” Dykes said. “It’s going to take some time for the sting to go away. I assure you that we’ll look back on the season and build on it from here.” 

The X’s and O’s didn’t matter because of Georgia’s Janes and Joes. The Bulldogs field the second-most talented roster in college football, per 247Sports Team Talent Rankings. Sixty-eight of their 85 scholarship players were four- or five-star recruits, including 15 five stars. 

TCU sported the 32nd-most talented roster on that list, sandwiched between Missouri and Utah. Only 17 of the Horned Frogs’ 85 scholarship players were four- or five-star recruits, and only one was a five star. That five star is a true freshman wide receiver who didn’t play. 

TCU entered as nearly two touchdown underdogs and it quickly became apparent that the number was too low. Georgia scored 38 first-half points, a CFP final record. Bennett had one fewer incompletion (7) than total touchdowns (6). The Bulldogs averaged 8.2 yards a play and recorded 32 first downs. TCU only managed nine first downs. And 3.7 yards per play. 

Even the TCU stars struggled. Quentin Johnston caught one pass for three yards. Duggan threw two picks, zero touchdowns, and registered 114 yards of total offense. Thorpe Award winner Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and a talented secondary relinquished 335 passing yards on 20 completions. Bowers had seven catches for 152 yards and a score. 

Running back Kendre Miller was out with injury and the rushing attack only accounted for 36 yards on 28 carries. Even when sack adjusted, TCU managed just 3.2 yards an attempt. The offensive line allowed five sacks. The Horned Frogs’ defense didn’t record a sack and only managed two tackles for loss in 72 snaps. 

Reality can hurt. It can also offer perspective. And two things can be true at one time. Getting blown out on the national stage is never a good look, but the Horned Frogs were the best story in college football. They went 12-0 in the regular season in Dykes’ first year. They beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl. They beat future SEC programs Texas and Oklahoma in the same season.

The quarterback finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. A defensive back won the Thorpe Award. The star wide receiver is likely a future first round draft pick. The current recruiting class ranks 18th in the nation and TCU is already enjoying success in the transfer portal with guys such as JoJo Earle and Tommy Brockermeyer on the way. 

“Tonight isn’t going to take away from this season and we were able to do as a program,” Duggan said. “The biggest thing is that this program is moving in the right direction. There were so many great memories this year. Obviously, we’re disappointed tonight, but we’re not going to let this take away from a remarkable season.” 

TCU ended the previous century as a member of the WAC. It started this century in Conference USA. Even reaching a national championship game felt like an impossibility, especially after being left out after a 12-1 finish in 2014. The Horned Frogs proved that an underfrog could hop into the biggest stage of college football. They also illustrated why it is so hard to break through that glass ceiling. 

Football isn’t basketball. One or two players can’t iso their way to a championship. Football isn’t like baseball, where a dominant pitcher can put a game into his back pocket. We all just watched Messi win a World Cup single footedly. 

Football is a true team sport, and it requires dozens of quality players to win championships. TCU simply didn’t possess the show horses that bring home the blue ribbons. The good news is that the playoff is expanding and that TCU earned over $2 billion dollars of free exposure on this run, which will lead to a bigger staff and higher-profile recruits. 

You gotta crawl before you walk, and the Horned Frogs took a few giant leaps forward as a program in 2022. The next jump is the hardest, however.