DALLAS — The TCU and SMU rivalry, commonly known as the "Iron Skillet," will indefinitely pause after the 2025 season, officials confirmed to WFAA.
The move was first reported by college football insider Brett McMurphy.
The two North Texas Christian universities have played each other 101 times since 1915. TCU leads the series 52-42-7, including a 42-34 shootout in 2022. SMU had won the two previous matchups before that. The Mustangs also hold the longest active win streak in the series, winning 15 straight from 1972 to 1986.
Rivalry games and their futures within the college football landscape have never been more in question than they are today. Iron Skillet becomes the latest example of rivalries being pushed to the wayside as conference realignment sends shockwaves throughout the sport. The Bedlam Series between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will play its last game for the foreseeable future in 2023 as the Sooners leave the Big 12 for the SEC. Similarly, Oregon and Washington both left the Pac-12 for the Big 12, leaving their in-state rivals Washington State and Oregon State behind.
SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee was asked about continuing the rivalry with TCU in July.
“The game has been played over 100 years. I don’t know why we wouldn’t play. We are always willing to play them,” Lashlee said. “I think it’s good for Texas football, I think it’s good for the Dallas Metroplex to have Dallas’ team and Fort Worth’s team playing.”
WFAA reached out to both TCU and SMU officials for comment. When reached by email, TCU officials confirmed the report that the university was "indefinitely pausing" their college football rivalry with SMU.
SMU officials sent WFAA the following statement:
"It is disappointing that TCU has made the decision to “pause” our football series. It’s disappointing for our student-athletes, our alumni and our fanbase. It’s disappointing for Metroplex football fans. This is a rivalry that has spanned a century-plus. It is the Battle for the Iron Skillet, Dallas versus Ft. Worth, Doak Walker versus Sammy Baugh, the Pony Express versus LaDainian Tomlinson, and more. It’s the game Grantland Rice, the famous sportswriter, called the "Game of the Century" in 1935. It is part of the very fabric of college football. Our hope is that TCU will resume the series, as we at SMU want to continue this rivalry in perpetuity."
TCU later issued a full statement on the matter:
"We have a tremendous respect for SMU and the Battle for the Iron Skillet which dates back over one hundred years. Playing more home games has been a priority for us and our fans and is most importantly in the best interest of the TCU Football program. We look forward to annually having seven home games and as many as eight in certain years. As our future non-conference schedules evolve, we keep open the possibility of future games with the Mustangs."
SMU and TCU are scheduled to play this season on Sept. 23 in Fort Worth.
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