SMU vs TCUIron Skillet
A cast-iron skillet SMU and TCU played for from 1946 until the series was paused after 2025.
Updated · BettorEdge
SMU and TCU are not on each other's schedule right now. The trophy stays with TCU until they meet again. TCU paused the series after 2025 to schedule more home games, and nothing new is on the calendar.
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Start a pick'em contestHow the Iron Skillet came to be
By the mid-1940s the SMU-TCU rivalry had turned destructive, with students from each school vandalizing the other's campus. More than $1,000 in damage was reported during the 1945 season.
In the fall of 1946, SMU's student council proposed a traveling trophy for the winner, and the two student governments met to set the rules, reportedly modeled on Michigan and Minnesota's Little Brown Jug.
The first Iron Skillet game was played on November 30, 1946. The original pan was engraved as a token of 'southwestern friendship' from the two student governments.
Why a skillet is still a mystery. A popular SMU story says a Mustang fan was frying frog legs before a game and a TCU fan proposed the winner take the pan, but TCU's own account credits the student councils.
The trophy itself. A plain cast-iron frying pan with an engraved nameplate. The skillet in use today is a Lodge pan bought at a hardware store for $49.99 in 2018, after the previous one broke at the handle.
Iron Skillet history
- 1915
First meeting: TCU wins 43-0.
- 1935
In a 'Game of the Century' between unbeaten teams, No. 1 SMU beats TCU 20-14 in front of a crowd far larger than the stadium's capacity and earns a Rose Bowl bid.
- 1946
The student governments create the Iron Skillet, and the first trophy game is played on November 30.
- 1993
The original skillet had been lost, and the student governments bring the tradition back with a new pan.
- 2018
The skillet is found broken at the handle and is quietly replaced before the game with a Lodge pan from a hardware store.
- 2023
TCU's athletic director announces in August that the series will pause after 2025 so TCU can schedule more home games.
- 2025
TCU wins the 104th and final scheduled meeting 35-24 in Fort Worth on September 20 and keeps the skillet.
Recent results
| Season | Result | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TCU Horned Frogs 35, SMU Mustangs 24 | Amon G. Carter Stadium |
| 2024 | SMU Mustangs 66, TCU Horned Frogs 42 | Gerald J. Ford Stadium |
| 2023 | TCU Horned Frogs 34, SMU Mustangs 17 | Amon G. Carter Stadium |
| 2022 | TCU Horned Frogs 42, SMU Mustangs 34 | Gerald J. Ford Stadium |
| 2021 | SMU Mustangs 42, TCU Horned Frogs 34 | Amon G. Carter Stadium |
Iron Skillet facts worth knowing
The skillet handed out since 2018 is a store-bought replacement: a Lodge cast-iron pan that cost $49.99, fitted with the old engraved nameplate.
The first trophy vanished at some point, and the tradition was restarted in 1993.
SMU and TCU met 104 times between 1915 and 2025.
After the final game, TCU coach Sonny Dykes, who had coached SMU before TCU, joked that the team might break the skillet with a sledgehammer or cook something in it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Iron Skillet?+
The Iron Skillet is the trophy SMU and TCU play for in college football, first awarded in 1946. A plain cast-iron frying pan with an engraved nameplate. The skillet in use today is a Lodge pan bought at a hardware store for $49.99 in 2018, after the previous one broke at the handle.
How did the Iron Skillet come to be?+
By the mid-1940s the SMU-TCU rivalry had turned destructive, with students from each school vandalizing the other's campus. More than $1,000 in damage was reported during the 1945 season.
Who has the Iron Skillet right now?+
TCU holds the Iron Skillet after winning the 2025 game, TCU 35, SMU 24. The live block on this page updates as soon as the next meeting is played.
Who leads the SMU-TCU series?+
TCU leads the all-time series 54-43-7 as of the end of the 2025 season.
When is the next Iron Skillet game?+
No SMU-TCU game is on ESPN's schedule right now. Conference schedules rotate, so check back as the next season's slate is released.
Where can I bet on the Iron Skillet game?+
You can bet SMU vs TCU on BettorEdge, a peer-to-peer marketplace where you trade with other bettors rather than a sportsbook, so the price carries no built-in house vig. You can also run a free pick'em contest for the game with your group.
More college football
Records and the current holder are as of the end of the 2025 season; the next-game block and recent results update from ESPN.Sources: en.wikipedia.org, espn.com, espn.com, cbssports.com.
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