No Sizzle Or Steak - The Death Of The Iron Skillet Rivalry

One Last Frog And Pony Show

Recently, the great and powerful Texas Christian University Horned Frogs announced they were "PAUSING" their annual game with the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. Most of the country probably just shrugged and went about their business, not knowing much about the game or its history. The game was first played in 1915. The upcoming game in Fort Worth (FW or Cowtown), the location of Texas Christian University (TCU), will be the 102nd meeting between the two schools. They were part of the legendary Southwest Conference for 75 years before that conference split apart. Legends of football have played in this game: Doak Walker, Sammy Baugh, Don Meredith, Bob Lilly, Jerry LeVias, Eric Dickerson, and LaDainian Tomlinson. 8 NFL Hall Fame inductees played in at least one game. In the 1935 contest between two unbeatens, the great Grantland Rice called it the "Game of the Century." SMU would win, earning a trip to the Rose Bowl, and was later declared national champions by the Dickinson System. 

TCU and FW Have A Serious Inferiority Complex Towards SMU And Dallas.

They play for the Iron Skillet, which the winning team takes home until the next contest. Nothing fancy, it is just what you would imagine, a big iron skillet. So why the fuss? This game has survived a World War, recruiting scandals, death penalty, conference changes, criminal behavior, and even punks in FW vandalizing my car. It was casualty to Covid, as TCU was concerned they might lose twice in a row playing in Dallas in 2020, which happened anyway, just in FW in 2021. With all this history, why not continue?

SMU Players Celebrate An Iron Skillet Victory

This where it gets fun, hearing all the reasons why TCU wants to pause the game. Allow me to paraphrase some of their reasoning. 

"We have ascended to such lofty heights, we can't lower ourselves down and play a team like SMU."

"They bring nothing to the table. If we win, nobody cares. And if we lose, our season is ruined!" 

"I got hot in their stadium and had to wait in line for water!"

"We want an extra home game so we can play stiff competition like Duquesne and Tarleton."

"We are a major college power now, so we need to act like one. That means scheduling OOC cupcakes at home."

"We want more home games to reduce travel for our fans." 

To be fair, I did a bit of embellishing, but not much. The last one is very close to a direct quote from TCU Head Coach Sonny Dykes, who actually thinks traveling to Dallas once every other year is a burden. Its not desirable as a daily commute, about an hour + depending on traffic between the two schools, but this is once every two years! These are all based on comments from articles, message boards, interviews, and social media. Frankly, if they want it stopped, that is fine. SMU could say many of the same things back to them. But just like a marriage, if one wants out, let them go. Its no fun being in a relationship with toxic partner who doesn't want to be there. I was hopeful they would simply be honest and speak the real reason. But that's not TCU or Sonny's way. He is snake, a mercenary coach, who only cares about himself. He hit the jackpot at TCU, landing right when the team was loaded with talent recruited by Gary Patterson, and the Big 12's traditional powers all had off years. He will ride that success, and Sonny's 65 to 7 embarrassment, as long as he can. I would certainly not trust him, based on how he handled his last year as SMUs coach. His shtick normally lasts about 3-5 years. So it will be interesting to see how long he lasts in Cowtown.

Never Turn Your Back On Sonny Dykes.

15 years ago there was a significant talent gap between SMU & TCU. And it was obvious to anyone who watched the games back then. That was when TCU should have pulled the plug on the series, as they could have made a reasonable argument. Today is not the time. SMU has SIGNIFICANTLY narrowed the gap since then, going 2-2 in the last 4 games. The game for the Iron Skillet often attracts the largest crowd for both schools, as was the case in the last two meetings. Not only is it a 101 year old rivalry, currently 42-52-7 in TCUs favor, but it is a contest between two very similar private schools, each representing the two major cities that make up the Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex, a metro area of almost 8M folks and growing. By stopping the series, it hurts both cities, as there is one less reason for someone in Dallas to care about FW. Ditto for the folks in Cowtown. The cities continue to grow apart, as the suburbs rapidly fill the spaces between them.

And its not just in recent games that we see the gap narrowing. Look at recruiting, especially portal recruiting. SMU has vastly improved in the last 5 years, even with the latest coaching change. SMU has stronger connections to DISD and the Dallas community than ever before. Sonny knows this. So he cancels the primary means for SMU to demonstrate that the teams are closer than ever. TCUs primary advantages, the "POWER" status and Big12 conference membership, create a perception of superiority that is only maintained by avoiding head-to-head competition with SMU. So he MUST end the game. He cannot be exposed in DFW. Its better to pretend that TCU has transcended the rivalry, that they are so good it simply makes no sense to play the game. It was the way I felt in the 80s. I started watching games in the 70s, seemingly always going to SMU versus TCU games for some strange reason. From that moment until graduation, and the NCAA maliciously shutting the program down, I NEVER saw SMU lose to TCU. I remember as a kid begging my parents to go see any other opponent. SMU would win 15 straight the most in the long series. But things can change. TCU had their run, but the series is still within 10 games.

Is The Iron Skillet Game Important?

As I type, SMU is on the verge of being admitted to the POWER club. There are serious discussions to add SMU to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Its an outstanding conference in Basketball, and pretty darn good in football too, producing national champions in 2013 (Florida State) and 2016, 2018 (Clemson). And unlike others, it is a conference that does place an emphasis on academics, which is a perfect fit for SMU. The geography is not ideal. Yet the upside offsets all the negatives. Our former "friends" in the Big12 have made it clear they will block SMU from their conference. Which leaves SMU in the difficult position of competing at a disadvantage to its natural and historical rivals unless they land in a power conference. It also conveniently gives Texas teams a HUGE recruiting advantage over the Mustangs, as Power status is routinely used in negative recruiting. So its convenient that TCU can block SMUs attempts at joining the Power club AND cut off the one opportunity, head-to-head competition, to impress recruits.

Happy Mustang Fans Show Their Pony Ears!

SMU as a member of POWER conference is a game changer. People seem shocked, or angry to here that SMU offered not to take any media handouts for up to 7 years in the ACC. This of course helps the ACC address some financial concerns with members, and build incentives for winning - which further addresses perceived conference inequities. What does SMU get in return? Its amazing so many people fail to grasp the huge win of losing the G5 label. The most obvious advantage is the schedule. In every sport, SMU will entertain some of the best brands in the country. Hosting a Clemson for football, or a Duke for basketball immediately leads to a likely sell-out, even with premium pricing. And of course you want to be competitive, and SMU thinks with POWER status that should be doable quite quickly. So suddenly your recruiting receives an immediate boost, alum/donor interest spikes - as many have no interest playing some unknown university that just moved up to FBS. Seeing their school now playing Big Boy Football is interesting again. Same goes for advertising and corporate partners. Suddenly you are not losing money, you are making money. And its not as if we were getting wealthy in the AAC - which is really what is being lost.

If Left Untreated, Arthritis Can Be Crippling At Any Age.

Don't forget all the intangibles of this move. SMU will be associating with some of the top Academic institutions in America. We will have exposure to folks on both coasts, which means more publicity and likely an uptick in out-of-state applications, and an overall increase in the quality of applicants. Presidents LOVE that. In athletics, every sport features schools that are at the top of the pecking order. So SMU will be competing against the very best in every sport which we compete. Iron sharpens iron. That means across the board, SMU should have an easier time recruiting much better athletes in the nonrevenue sports, which furthers the SMU brand, and MAY make them, if not profitable, maybe they lose less money by attracting more fans, sponsors, and donors.

Academic/Research Rankings Of Various Schools

Why TCU Fears SMU

The simple answer is, overall, SMU is a better university. Our NIL/portal game will always be stronger. Sonny D is already begging for more NIL contributions at TCU. Academics - SMU has the edge (see above). Location - Dallas over Cowtown every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. Facilities - The Hilltop versus a giant La Quinta Inn, easy pick there. Alumni Wealth - SMU is BLE$$ED. Scenery - SMU, no question - see above. Bands - Best Dressed Band In The Land, versus TCU who wears high school uniforms.

Its Not That TCU Is Bad. SMU Is Just So Much Better!

By almost every metric, SMU is superior. Same with Dallas. Although Dallas shares DFW with Fort Worth, anyone who has ever traveled knows that people outside of Texas and overseas KNOW Dallas, but are clueless about Ft Worth. So folks just say they are from Dallas, not Arlington, Plano, Allen, or even Ft Worth. That seems trivial, but it has merit. I don't know how many times in my travels here and abroad, I said McKinney, Mesquite, or Plano, and then noting their confused looks, simply said Dallas. And frankly, they might as well build a border wall at Highway 360, because its rare to travel to Dallas from FW, and even rarer to go from Dallas to FW. Why? Its too far for a night out on the town. And there is not enough interesting things to do for an overnight stay. If there is a convention there, then maybe you spend the night and visit the Water Gardens where Logan's Run was filmed. That's something. Or, you could watch Longhorn cattle that look they are about ready to become steaks meander down the street. And while neither city has yet to be ranked in the Top 100 cities to visit worldwide, Dallas lands at a comfortable #14 in places to visit in America. FW is lumped together as Dallas-Ft Worth, encompassing the entire 13 county metro area at #23. Even McKinney, Texas landed on the list separately at #59, along with Ennis, TX at #60, Waco, TX #61, Galveston, TX #62. Way to go McKinney, Ennis, Waco, and Galveston! And just to wrap it all up - Houston #21, San Antonio #50.

So imagine SMU, with all the above advantages, in a Power conference and on the recruiting trail. The ability to attract the very top athletes becomes possible, or at least we are in the conversation. Then we can share all the other advantages like playing in Dallas in front of friends and family. How about getting an excellent education and access to one of the best concentrations of corporate headquarters in the country. If they want to play professionally, every major sport is represented in Dallas, so plenty of opportunities no matter what God has planned for their lives!

Beautiful Downtown Dallas, Texas

The Dallas metro area is exploding, expected to surpass Chicago as early as 2030, and be #1 by 2100. We will likely be gone, but what will SMU be like? The seeds we plant today will lead to the harvest tomorrow. Facilities investment - nearly $250M over the last decade. And most importantly, doing what we can to get Power status, maybe ACC, maybe somewhere else. That is truly the only thing holding SMU back. Weasels like Sonny know this, and use that difference all the time against us. All the Texas POWER schools do - It does matter to many top athletes. 

Will The ACC Add SMU?

And what will the growth of DFW and membership in the ACC do for the main purpose of SMU - higher education? NYU, USC, and Northwestern have all benefitted from being in very large metro areas. What happens as SMU grows and invests along with the growth of the metro area? How much can they improve their academic reputation? What about undergraduate enrollment? Folks have sometimes pointed to SMUs small size as a negative when it comes to realignment. If SMU grows with the area, maybe its comparable in size to a USC, NYU, or Northwestern? A population of 10 to 20k can make a huge difference for attendance on gameday. But it must be done without sacrificing the quality of the education.

Power status means more media coverage, better poll consideration - some sports "journalists" refuse to even vote for G5 teams, better competition, and of course better bowl/playoff options. Everyone knows this, but I think its good to remember what happens when you get the Golden Ticket. Although some likely don't deserve it.

Its comical how the criteria for POWER status seems to change with the seasons. Sometimes athletic accomplishments matter, other times location, attendance, or viewership. Just recently with the PAC, academics was an important consideration, now its all about financial impact. That is why I chuckle when people on social media start trying to make hay over athletics - like it mattered with Rutgers, or the recent Big 12 additions. 

Historically, SMU can stand up with anyone. Hall of Famers, National Championships, Heisman Winner, All Americans, conference championships, rankings, and NFL players. Its amazing what we have done, IN SPITE OF the Death Penalty, Pye Penalty (Administration Shenanigans), bad coaches, and even worse conferences. SMU has a pretty strong athletic case. Last 5 years - 37 wins. Compared to ACC, only 4 teams had more w's - Clemson 60, Pitt 41, WF/NCST 38, & Indy ND 53. Of course some knucklehead will point to competition. Hey, we can only play the games scheduled. Last year we faced 6 now "Power" teams. And were competitive in most, beating Houston in a record breaking shootout. We've gone 2-2 against TCU last 4 games. What happens against POWER teams when SMU shares that status? How much will recruiting/portal improve in 2-3 years of recruiting as a POWER school in a decent conference?

I love comments from Power conference fans. Take Illinois for example. What do they truly contribute? They averaged 2.48 conference wins the last 23 years. Last 5 - 25 total wins. SMU had 37. Some schools are willing to pay whatever it takes to be with, and play the best, while others are entitled deadbeats.

You could go through all the POWER conferences and create a whole conference of welfare colleges, schools soaking in the money and status, and yet without a hope of ever being nationally relevant.

I just want realignment over, and soon. I used to love college football, now its much harder to enjoy because of this never-ending speculation, conference changes, lost rivalries, and really dumb sports opinions by jealous fans and ignorant podcasters pretending to be journalists.

The amusing part of TCUs "pause" is that it is absolutely the worst possible thing for them to do right now. The announcement outside of FW was universally panned. Most sports fans saw right away what was going on and rightly criticized the move. Coming off their greatest season since the 30s, even with the record-setting humiliation, they were flying pretty high. This was a self-inflicted PR wound. It will heal. But recruits notice these things, and no matter how much Sonny attempts to spin the situation, it simply looks like fear. So every other year TCU has an extra home game. Against whom? Will Tarleton or Duquesne - two of their recent opponents, fill the stadium with happy Lizard fans? How many big time POWER teams are coming to FW in September? If they are worth a darn, they are scheduling like TCU - a bunch of cupcakes at home. And God help Sonny if a Portland State or North Dakota State shows up at ACS and wins. Although I doubt Sonny schedules anyone that good.

Here's the quandary for the Frogs. The same claim they have for SMU is true of ANYONE they bring in for an OOC game. If they win, nobody cares. If they lose, its catastrophic to their season. So if SMU were to be a POWER school, a loss would be far less damaging. A win would maintain their recruiting edge - even while both teams are finally on a level playing field. A once every other year drive to Dallas is not cumbersome on the fans. But how much is lost by NOT PLAYING IN DALLAS? How many recruits live on the Dallas side? Its not like driving to Ft Worth is convenient for a 17-year old. For someone who lives in Allen or Duncanville, going to Ford is easy.

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

People in FW believe that just because of proximity, they are top of mind in Dallas. Not at all. There are different newspapers, radio and even TV seem to have a preference based on their locations. If TCU stops playing in Dallas, they will slowly fade from the conversation as did Texas Tech, Baylor, Arkansas, and even A&M. UT and OU continue to be somewhat relevant, as they continue their game during the State Fair. But once they are gone, their coverage goes back to normal. Sure TCU will be mentioned if they manage to get lucky and make the CFP again. That goes without saying as its newsworthy. I'm talking about the daily mentions, building awareness among folks that matter - recruits, coaches, alums, donors, and corporate sponsors.

Who gets more coverage in Dallas when Clemson comes to town to play SMU at Ford, or Duke arrives to play at Moody? While TCU is facing some FCS scrub so they can play another home game "for the fans" or something? 

TCU is fleeing the Iron Skillet at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons. But its their choice. This is likely the first misstep of many that Sonny D will make to bring TCU down. That is hard to imagine now, but they have likely peaked. The Big 12 will be a tough league because of parity. Once UT and OU leave, and the newbies start recruiting as Power teams, its going to be difficult to go a season without dropping a game. Yes, you will have your Iowa St and Texas Tech - the deadbeats to pad the records, but Utah, Cincinnati, BYU, and even UCF will make things interesting in time. Playing OOC creampuffs will hardly prepare a team for that.

After I composed this blog, I came across the following that I thought was interesting.

Apparently, There Are Few In FW That Understand.

If you read this far, THANK YOU. I appreciate you visiting and allowing me to rant. My first college game was in the 60s, sitting on my Father's lap watching Texas, as he graduated from UT after returning from World War 2. My Mother, an SMU grad had some influence on me. But it was going to my first SMU game, and also seeing the campus when we moved in my oldest sister as a freshman, that changed my life. It was love at first sight. Another sister would graduate from SMU before it was my time.

I have so many fond memories of watching and listening to SWC games - yes before the Internet, most games were on the radio, and maybe 1 or 2 SWC games would be broadcast. While in college I traveled to many away games - it was so much fun. I miss the SWC, and yet know those days are gone. That is the source of my passion.

And just so we are clear, I DO NOT hate TCU or Ft Worth. Its a great school and beautiful town. All my remarks, please take with a grain of salt. I have historically rooted for Texas teams whenever they played out-of-state opponents. I've had to evolve, but I still have a soft spot for Texas teams - until some knucklehead on social media provokes me with stupidity. TCU is proof that SMU CAN rebuild and be nationally relevant. Being in a Power conference can only help SMU grow. I would love if one day the two schools could have another "Game of the Century" - but that may not be in the cards for the next few years. And that's sad.