The Last Iron Skillet Game - SMU v TCU Rivalry

Last Saturday (9/21/2024), TCU and SMU participated in the 103rd playing of the Iron Skillet Rivalry. The game was played in the newly remodeled Ford Stadium in front of a near capacity crowd, including the largest number of SMU students in recent memory. 

The game was broadcast by The CW, an OTA network that is slowly building itself into a respectable sports media partner. With two small private schools from the Dallas area, the  4 pm (CST) game recorded around 322,000 viewers. TCU fans immediately jumped on this as some indicator that nobody outside DFW cares about the game. But a little context might help. Overlapping the game on more traditional sports networks, were USC v Michigan, UCLA v LSU, Utah v Oklahoma State, Arkansas v Auburn, Miami (OH) v Notre Dame. And at the same time, UTEP v Colorado State had 56,000 viewers on TruTV. 

frogs on the cw, unfortunately. pic.twitter.com/NSLNj9ojk0

— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) September 20, 2024

Viewership is driven by a number of factors - size of the school and fanbase. The current rankings and importance of the game can increase the number of viewers. The most important factors are the time, network, and competition on other networks. Its going to be difficult stealing viewers from Notre Dame on NBC. Or even USC and Michigan on CBS. However, this was a rivalry game between the Big 12 and ACC, and one of the last ones. But both teams were limping into the game with player issues and a recent disappointing loss - TCU against UCF, and SMU against BYU.

It was TCU that decided it was best if the schools drop the annual game. I covered this including the history of the rivalry in a previous post. Back in the early 2000s, when TCU joined the Big 12 and dominated the series, it would have made perfect sense to pause, or even end the series. SMU looked as if they really did not care about football. TCU was in a power conference with the revenue advantage and the recruiting prestige, and they were winning games on the national stage. SMU was fortunate to make it occasionally to the Hawaii Bowl.

Now almost 20 years later, things are a lot different. SMU, along with Cal and Stanford, are now members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) - arguably the 3rd best Power conference. Only in SMUs wildest dreams did they see themselves landing in the ACC. They had hoped for the Big 12, reuniting with some Southwest Conference schools. But a certain school in Cowtown made sure that did not happen. They were likely helped by others - Baylor and Texas Tech. The idea of a Big 12 team in the middle of Dallas, and likely playing there every year, seemed like a no brainer. But these universities are not exactly known as the top academic destinations in the country - especially now that Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma are in the Southeast Conference. The latest academic rankings confirm this. Simply compare the rankings of the two conferences. All but one, Louisville, is ranked higher than all the Big 12 schools - significantly. Of course winning football and basketball games is preferred, but if you can do both, why not?

SMU was all but in the PAC 12 when the Big 12 pounced on several teams, destroying that conference in the process. And once again leaving SMU on the outside looking in. As long as TCU had the golden ticket - membership in a Power conference and SMU did not, they could maintain their competitive edge. They even lured Sonny Dykes away from SMU, after his SMU teams beat TCU in consecutive games. Little did they know they actually did us a favor, as Rhett Lashlee is a far better man and coach. TCU is finding this out the hard way.

When the rules changed, and the portal became a reality, SMU jumped onboard and embraced it - telling players that they could "come home" have a fresh start playing at SMU in front of friends and family. The pitch worked, as SMU was able to upgrade their roster. And then the NCAA allowed players to earn money from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Once again SMU was a pioneer, mastering the acquisition of top players. The only thing missing, and keeping the very top players away was that SMU still was not playing with the Big Boys. That was a HUGE competitive disadvantage on signing day. And TCU was EAGER to keep it that way. Because every day, the talent on SMUs roster was getting dangerously close to TCUs level. A few players picked SMU over TCU, and some even transferred to SMU - both quite rare in the past. TCU had to do something. That something was to cancel the series. If the teams never played head-to-head, nobody would truly know which is the better school. And besides, is there a TCU fan who does not prefer seeing TCU play top schools like Long Island University?

Why Do All TCU Fans Have Early Onset Arthritis?

In spite of all the complaints - Its so hot. They ran out of water. The bathrooms were crowded. TCU fans by the hundreds, dragged their butts to Dallas to see what they hoped would be another decisive win over the lowly Ponies of SMU - their "lil bro" as some joke. But that little brother is ALMOST fully grown. Our Big Money Donors have invested over $250M in athletic facilities since 2013. We have a Presidential library, numerous new buildings, and a beautiful campus that does not resemble a La Quinta motel. Its no surprise that people from TCU don't want to see how much better things are in Dallas.

And what they witnessed was a bloodbath at Ford. SMU jumped out quickly and never looked back. Sonny Dykes even got himself thrown out in hopes it might fire up his team. It did not work. When it was over, SMU won 66-42 - and it really was not that close.

I've had a week to consider the Iron Skillet game. Other schools have cancelled games. This very year, Vanderbilt cancelled our game forcing SMU to scramble and find a week 0 opponent. We played Nevada. It would be nice to give TCU what they want - a pause. Let this be the last Skillet game for a time. It was a perfect ending to a 100+ year rivalry. We keep the Skillet, and TCU keeps Sonny - at least for a few more games.

But I know SMU will keep their commitment. We will play TCU one last time in Cowtown. The cows will walk aimlessly through the stockyards. Sunrise, sunset. But maybe one last Iron Skillet game will bring some much needed excitement to their campus. It was fun while it lasted.

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