"When TCU has the stage to itself they embarrass themselves" - Paul Finebaum drops a blunt message for TCU following defeat against Sanders' Colorado
It seems No. 17 TCU is a team not made for the spotlight, as instead of thriving in it, the school tends to falter and lose direction.
It is no secret that the Horned Frogs were utterly destroyed by the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff championship game last year. The 65-7 score almost took the fun out of it.
The 2023 college football season began Saturday for TCU, and it failed to produce under the limelight yet again in the noon game against a new-look Colorado. Had the offseason not been so full of radical change at Boulder, maybe this game wouldn't have had such national relevance.
Sadly for the Horned Frogs, Coach Prime moved to Boulder from Jackson State. And if we know something from Deion Sanders' entire career, it is that he likes to talk the talk and walk the walk.
Sanders had been hyping up the game and his players for weeks, and we were all listening. And he delivered as the Buffaloes beat the Horned Frogs 45-42.
ESPN's veteran analyst Paul Finebaum had some thoughts to share on "The Matt Barrie Show" regarding TCU's defeat:
"I was shocked, but I shouldn't have been because I forgot the most important element. Deion Sanders and Colorado wasn't the key to this game. It was just accepting the fact that when TCU has the stage to itself, they embarrass themselves."
Paul Finebaum's reaction to the TCU Week 1 loss
Later in the program, Finebaum said the following about the current state of the Horned Frogs:
"I think we both have equal respect for Sonny Dykes. But the real problem now is that in these two major events? The 65-7 beatdown that nobody will ever forget? And what we saw (this weekend)? They carry this now around their neck that they just can’t handle the big stage, even though we know that’s not true, they beat Michigan in the semifinal. But it will haunt them."
While harsh, the message rings true for a program that had been complaining about how it hadn't been appropriately ranked in the preseason poll.
As much credit as Deion Sanders and his players deserve, let's not forget that last year's finalist was just beaten by a non-ranked school that finished 1-11 last season. Colorado also had around 80% of its players arrive within the previous six months.
Paul Finebaum put it best to close the subject:
"Quite frankly, I don’t want to hear about TCU anymore this season."
The Horned Frogs next play Nicholls Colonels on Saturday, Sept. 9. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET and can be watched live on ESPN+.