The Change That Could Push TCU Football Past Nine Wins in 2026

After back-to-back nine-win seasons, TCU is betting that the smallest improvements could produce its biggest breakthrough.

TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes walks off the field during the game between the Horned Frogs and the Bearcats at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

TCU Football enters the 2026 season with expectations higher than they've been since the Horned Frogs reached the College Football Playoff. After back-to-back nine-win seasons, Sonny Dykes believes the next step won't come from adding more talent; it will come from improving the little things. From discipline and accountability to limiting costly mistakes, the Horned Frogs are focused on building the consistency needed to compete for a Big 12 championship. That mindset starts with veteran leaders like Jaden Craig and has become the foundation of everything TCU is trying to accomplish this fall.

The expectation is just as high inside the program. After consecutive nine-win seasons, the goal isn't simply to get back to a bowl game. It's time to take the next step and compete for a Big 12 championship in December.

Sonny Dykes believes TCU has the talent to do that. He believed it was entering each of the last two seasons as well. So what makes this team different?

The answer isn't a new scheme of an influx of talent. It's a greater emphasis on discipline, accountability, and doing the little things right every day. That's where Dykes believes this team can separate itself in 2026.

Discipline and Accountability Have Become TCU's Identity

TCU Horned Frogs running back Jeremy Payne (26) eludes a tackle by Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jonathan Thompson (22) during the game between the Horned Frogs and the Bearcats at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Frogs have found a way to finish with nine wins each of the last two years, but the underlying consensus has been that the program has left wins on the field, including some critical ones that they should have walked away with.

The Mistakes That Kept From Taking the Next Step

In 2024, those were the UCF and Houston game, where the Frogs blew a dominant lead against the Knights, and came out flat at home against the Cougars. Last season, it was Arizona State and Iowa State, where the Frogs struggled to hold a lead against the Sun Devils, and came out flat at home against a wounded Cyclones team.

While it's easy to play the "what if" game, those results happened and derailed what could have been double-digit-win seasons. Now, entering 2026, the Frogs are cleaning things up, focusing on the little things, and becoming more disciplined and attentive in everything they do, no matter how big or small the task might be.

While Every Small Detail Matters in Fall Camp

"We say it all the time, don't focus on the outcome," Dykes said of his conversations with his team. "The outcome takes care of itself. Focus on the process, keep your head down, and do things the right way, not most of the time, all the time. I think our percentage of doing things properly is better. We are more disciplined, there's a lot of accountability."

While it would be disingenuous to say those were not the focus of past teams, the uptick in intensity, consistency, and, perhaps more importantly, accountability has ramped up ahead of a critical 2026 season. The Frogs averaged 7.1 penalties per game last season, while their opponents averaged 5.1, both marks that put them outside the top-100 in their respective categories.

"What does it boil down to?" Dykes said on how his team separates itself from others when talent levels are equal. "It boils down to which team is going to be the most disciplined, which team is going to execute the best under pressure. I feel like those were areas we needed to improve in, and the way that you do that is by having elite discipline."

The attention to detail and focusing on winning each day, not a week, not the month, but each day at a time, allows more time to focus on the small details. Getting each thing right, especially at this point in practice, when the offensive scheme install is underway, is paramount to laying the foundation for success in the coming months.

Jaden Craig Is Leading the New Standard

TCU 2026 QB at Big 12 Media Days at the Star in Frisco, TX | Emma Swinney | KillerFrogs.com

While instilling discipline is the goal, at the end of the day, for Dykes and the Frogs, it's hard to accomplish that without buy-in from the players who are asked to produce on the field. With new offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis in town, though, the flip has switched, and the Frogs have found that role change, and for the better, are accomplishing the goals they have laid in front of them.

Gordon Sammis Has Changed the Daily Apporach

"I think in the past, when it came to accountability, it was just them calling out like ok you messed this up when going over film, but there was no real work on this, or a charge to actually get better, in that specific area," Taylor-Whitfield said when speaking on the impact offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis has had. "It's been a while since I have had that kind of coaching, I think it's been since Duncanville [High School]."

While it begins at the small level, ensuring hand and foot placement is right, or avoiding penalties, or making the extra move on a play, the Frogs are working on that, and only time will better that. Discipline and accountability are also a big-picture ideology for the Frogs today, beginning with the quarterback role, and Jaden Craig is limiting any risk of turnovers on offense.

The Foundation for a Big 12 Championship Run

While avoiding interceptions is the priority, the coaching staff is still allowing Craig to play his style of football and to be aggressive, which is his preferred way of running an offense. Now, though, it's not about just taking a shot on the field, but instead about it being a calculated risk. Craig, who has plenty of on-field experience and has been praised all camp for how smart he is, is finding the middle ground between aggressive and cautious, and the discipline to keep the offense on the field rather than getting burned by a risk.

"We call it the dark alley." New quarterbacks, coach Brad Robbins talked about how limiting turnovers impacts them. "When the play breaks down, and they have us covered, we can't force the football. Fight the urge, the play breaks down, go be an athlete."

While it seems like an obvious coaching point, limiting turnovers and working on the smaller details and little things is where that begins. The Frogs are working on it, and as they move closer to the beginning of the season, they are also moving closer to becoming the team they envision in 2026, and it might be a really good one.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest TCU news.