Sonny Dykes made a bold claim about the Big 12 Conference following TCU‘s 30-27 overtime win over USC on Tuesday night. The Horned Frogs defeated the Trojans after a miraculous 35-yard touchdown catch on 3rd & 20.

“I believe the Big 12 is the most competitive conference in football,” Dykes said. “I really do believe that. From top to bottom, anybody can win any given Saturday, and it makes it a very difficult conference to win.

“It was hard for us when we went 12-0 our first year. There were only nine teams in the league — or ten teams in the league at that time. We played everybody, and so you kind of had a real champion. Now with the addition of the teams, the league has gotten stronger.”

TCU lost to Georgia in the 2022-23 national championship game during the four-team CFP era. The Horned Frogs went undefeated in the regular season and beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl. The Wolverines were undefeated at the time.

Looking at the current state of the conference, Dykes praised Texas Tech for the season they’ve had, as well as BYU. The Red Raiders are representing the conference in the College Football Playoff and will play Oregon in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. BYU defeated Georgia Tech 25-21 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He’s hoping Texas Tech will have success in the CFP for the conference’s sake.

“We had to go do that for the league (in 2022),” Dykes said. “Texas Tech needs to go win some games for the league. As that happens and as teams win games, I think the league gets more respect, because like I said, game in and game out, there’s no league tougher from top to bottom.

“Now, maybe not as many teams at the top as there is in the SEC or maybe the Big Ten, but the bottom teams in the Big 12 are crazy competitive. So, anyway, it’s a hell of a league, and you know, hard to win it.”

TCU finished the 2025 season with a 9-4 record, including a 5-4 mark against the Big 12. The Horned Frogs didn’t face Texas Tech this season, but lost to BYU 44-13 on Nov. 15.

Dykes’ squad would go on to win the last three games on their schedule, including the Alamo Bowl in emphatic fashion. TCU will now head into 2026 will their eye on a Big 12 title next fall.