Why TCU is ‘pausing’ the Battle for the Iron Skillet rivalry game with SMU
Enjoy this year’s edition of the Battle for the Iron Skillet, because it could be one of the last games of the rivalry.
Sources confirmed to the Star-Telegram on Wednesday that TCU would “pause” it’s annual football game with SMU after the 2025 season.
The two Metroplex rivals will meet in Fort Worth this season on Sept. 23, Dallas next season and the final game would be in Fort Worth in 2025. The two programs had their first meeting in 1915 and have played every year since with the exception of six seasons. TCU currently has a 52-42-7 record against the Mustangs.
TCU had dominated the rivalry recently, but Sonny Dykes swung the momentum of the rivalry by leading SMU to back-to-back wins over TCU in 2019 and 2021. That was the first time that happened since 1992-93.
Dykes’ success with making SMU more competitive in the rivalry was one of the many reasons he was selected to replace Gary Patterson after the 2021 season. That only made the rivalry more contentious last season as the Mustangs had one of the largest crowds in history to watch Dykes and the Horned Frogs beat SMU 42-34.
The rivalry continued to grow more contentious in the off-season when former top-100 recruit Jordan Hudson transferred to SMU. This led to accusations of tampering and a war of words between the fan bases. This announcement will only inflame the hostilities. Conversations about potentially pausing or ending the series had been ongoing for sometime according to sources.
The loss of another rivalry is sure to upset fans across the country after the latest wave of realignment saw more schools breaking away from local rivals like Oregon and Oregon State and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. If there is a bright side, TCU now has more flexibility to add a marquee Power Five opponent to the future schedule.
Starting in 2026, the Horned Frogs have games scheduled against North Carolina, Duke, Purdue and Stanford. There’s also the option of still playing the Mustangs in the future, but just on a less frequent basis.
Regardless of how the future schedule turns out, expect there to be a bunch of fireworks during the 102nd Battle for the Skillet on Sept. 23 at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
ActionNetwork insider Brett McMurphy was the first to report the news on Wednesday.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 10:24 AM.
