It was a storybook season that ended in absolute disaster for Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs, after getting dismantled by the now back-to-back CFP National Champion Georgia Bulldogs on Monday night.

The Bulldogs scored more touchdowns than the Horned Frogs earned first downs, en route to a a 65-7 shellacking at SoFi Stadium in one of the most lopsided National Championship Games in recent memory.

Dykes told his team after the game they they needed to “look in the mirror” after a result like that and figure out what they needed to do to improve in order to not let it happen again.

“I think that's the best thing that happens when you face adversity like this,” Dykes said. “You make mistakes and you learn from them and you get better as a program, get better as a coach, you get better as players, and the next time you handle the situation better.”

The Horned Frogs found ways to win all season long, coming from behind and overcoming on multiple occasions. But there was no fairytale ending against Georgia, instead a nightmare starting with the game's first snap, when TCU was called for a false start. It was all Bulldogs all the time, and the game was basically over after the first half.

The team will try to regroup next season after the demoralizing loss, but for both departing and returning players, they'll still look back on an excellent season that defied all expectations for the program. Most players on the team had only experienced losing seasons, and Dykes and his new staff have built a foundation that provides a perfect point from which to restart.

“It will take some time for the sting to go away, I assure you,” Sonny Dykes admitted. “We will look back on this season and build on it from here.