An unexpected College Football Playoff berth has caused an eye-opening transformation to the goals and expectations around TCU, which was picked in the preseason to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 but now stands among the top four teams in the entire Bowl Subdivision.
"Nobody anticipated us being here," said TCU coach Sonny Dykes. "I think there's been a lot of things that have occurred this year beyond people's expectations."
The standard has changed as the Horned Frogs prepare for the Fiesta Bowl as roughly touchdown underdogs against Big Ten champion Michigan, providing the potential for a dramatic boost to the direction of the program with few parallels in modern Bowl Subdivision history.