Gary Patterson says it's 'probably bittersweet' TCU made it to national championship

Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson is certainly at a different place, and probably a weird one, seeing the Horned Frogs make it to the national championship without him.

In a conversation with SI’s Ross Dellenger, Patterson, now at Texas as an assistant under Steve Sarkisian, opened up about TCU’s success in 2022-23 en route to a national title appearance against Georgia under first-year coach Sonny Dykes. The Horned Frogs pulled off an upset over Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals following last year’s 5-7 campaign, Patterson’s final season.

“You put 24 years of your life into a place, you wouldn’t want something like that to fail,” Patterson said. “If you’re sitting in my shoes, yes, it is probably bittersweet. But at the end of the day, it’s good to see them get where they need to.

“This Monday is for all those guys, for all the people who have been part of this whole journey for 25 years. Because of those times, we are here. This is for the state of Texas, TCU, Fort Worth and for getting left out (of the CFP) in 2014.”

Patterson joined Texas after 22 seasons with TCU as a special assistant to the head coach.

Texas lost 27-20 to Washington in the Alamo Bowl, finishing the season 8-5.

However, Patterson explained his decision to join the Longhorns’ staff staying in-state.

“If you went through a divorce,” Patterson said. “Would you want to live in the same town as your ex? I needed some space. A lot of people thought I went to Texas out of spite. No, I went to learn.”

Despite the bittersweet factor, Patterson, who went 181-79 at the only college he was head coach for, was excited for his former school.

“No hard feelings on that kind of stuff with Sonny and (my wife Kelsey during the initial departure),” Patterson said. “This is part of college football. At the end of the day, I’m excited for them.”

Dykes led TCU to a 13-1 record entering Monday’s game against Georgia, only losing the Big 12 Championship Game to Kansas State in a rematch.

“TCU had to improve some things, and that’s usually what happens when you bring a new guy in,” Patterson said. “You improve some things.”

Dykes was an analyst at TCU in 2017 under Patterson before coaching SMU for four seasons, where he went 30-18.

“I was appreciative of him for hiring me in 2017,” Dykes said. “I think the world of Coach Patterson. There was nobody invested in a football program more than Gary was invested here. When things ended the way they did and you’re as invested as he was, that’s hard. It’s a tough thing to go through.”