'Bragging rights for all eternity': An ode to the Iron Skillet rivalry

If you needed a metaphor for what has go of the TCU-SMU rivalry, erstwhile 1 of the champion successful assemblage football, see the trophy that's connected the enactment Saturday. The Iron Skillet itself is not what we deliberation it is.

The 2 schools, 40 miles apart, were erstwhile shot royalty, Southwest Conference enemies playing with nationalist championships connected the line. Now, aft aggregate rounds of realignment, aft NIL and gross sharing and a way to the playoff became a priority, a rivalry is playing its last scheduled game. Disdain is not a concern exemplary anymore, unfortunately, for fans who agelong to consciousness it successful their hearts.

The Horned Frogs and Mustangs archetypal met successful 1915, and wrong 20 years, the 1935 crippled was known arsenic the "Game of the Century," an SMU triumph truthful thrilling that legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice, who rode the bid from New York to screen it, considered it possibly the top crippled ever played successful the archetypal 60 years of the sport.

By 1946, the rivalry was truthful bitter that the 2 schools, some of which had suffered vandalism connected field by opposing students, seemingly decided that the happening that would halt each the shenanigans would beryllium to make a trophy the victor could clasp for a year. And that happening was a pan. The Iron Skillet rivalry was born, inspired by Michigan and Minnesota's conflict for the Little Brown Jug.

But implicit the years, the contented faded, teams stopped handing it implicit to each different and the archetypal was lost. In 1993, some schools' pupil governments resurrected the tradition, and an robust skillet adorned with a plaque became a trophy erstwhile again. But a motion to the past couldn't animate overmuch much than nostalgia: The Frogs went 4-7 that play and SMU finished 2-7-2. These were the acheronian days of a once-great series. TCU, which won much games (90) than immoderate different large schoolhouse successful the state from 1929 done 1938, would beryllium ranked successful the AP canvass conscionable doubly betwixt 1961 and 1999.

SMU, which produced a Heisman Trophy victor successful the large Doak Walker successful 1948, fell into mediocrity, past roared backmost to prominence successful the Pony Express days of the 1980s, finishing successful the apical 10 3 times betwixt 1981 and 1984. But aft the NCAA's hammer fell connected the Mustangs and they were fixed the "death penalty" for repeated recruiting violations, SMU did not play immoderate games during the 1987 and 1988 seasons and would not beryllium ranked again until 2019. The 2 ne'er came adjacent to peaking astatine the aforesaid time, but successful 2011, erstwhile June Jones' 8-5 SMU squad bushed Gary Patterson's 11-2 Frogs, who were coming disconnected a 2010 Rose Bowl win, 40-33 successful overtime.

By 2018, TCU had kept possession of the Skillet for 15 of the past 17 seasons, including the erstwhile seven. When a staffer went to retrieve it for the 2018 game, the rusted cookware had breached astatine the handle. Sources, nether information of anonymity due to the fact that of the delicate quality of the covert kitchenware operation, person revealed that the existent Iron Skillet is an impostor, a Lodge formed robust cookware bought astatine an Ace True Value hardware store (retail value: $49.99) soon earlier the game, and fitted with the engraved nameplate.

It's an due practice of the reverence that the Frogs had for the rivalry during each those thin years. TCU had ascended from the leftovers of the Southwest Conference to determination to the Big 12 successful 2012 portion the Mustangs lingered successful the WAC, Conference USA and the AAC.

Still, they played, due to the fact that it was a rivalry fueled by spite astatine the schoolhouse and metropolis levels. Nationally, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, are lumped together, but for astir of their history, they've wanted thing to bash with each other. And that was particularly existent for Fort Worth, and much specifically for 1 Amon G. Carter, the city's biggest booster who founded the Fort Worth Star-Telegram successful 1906.

So it's lone fitting that erstwhile SMU and TCU conscionable Saturday (noon ET, ESPN2) for the past clip (as acold arsenic anyone knows), that it volition beryllium played astatine the Frogs' Amon G. Carter ...