TCU defensive tackle James Vess

Sept. 17, 2008

If the Iron Skillet weren't the ceremonial reward for the winner of the annual State Farm DFW Duel, I'm here to tell you that it could serve a couple of other critical purposes:

A. Medieval weapon
B. The biggest, baddest candy dish in America

One thing is certain: the team that walks off the Gerald J. Ford Stadium field Saturday holding the Iron Skillet will walk away with one of college football's most cherished prizes.

State Farm knew plenty about this history before launching full throttle into its title partnership with the DFW Duel - the Battle for the Iron Skillet. After last year's rock `em sock `em 21-7 TCU victory at Amon G. Carter Stadium, the insurance giant continues to support the DFW Duel and the two cities that play host to this annual title bout.

Eloy Leal, a State Farm agent who covers Tarrant County like a shutdown cornerback, was on hand for Coach Gary Patterson's presser with the local scribes. As a former Horned Frog himself, Eloy's by no means an impartial fan. But at the end of the day, he and the 1,500 agents he represents are pulling for yet another great game in this historic series.

Ironically, the best games in this series have ended in ties. Yeah, kissing your sister isn't much fun, but check out what was at stake when these teams ended deadlocked . . .

1929 - TCU won its first Southwest Conference crown after tying SMU 7-7

1931 - Rain and mud (sound familiar, Stanford fans?) caused an offensive blackout and also cost SMU a Rose Bowl bid. The game ended 0-0.

1936 - Another mudder led to another goose egg to goose egg game. This time, TCU paid as it lost a chance to share the conference title. Sam Baugh didn't complete a pass, which was the only time in his career that he failed to connect at least once.

1947 - SMU and Doak Walker were a perfect 9-0 before this 19-19 tie, which marked one of the biggest upsets in series history

1948 - Another upset of Doak and the Ponies, this one ended 7-7

1961 - TCU rallied from 13 back to take a 28-20 lead before SMU scored a touchdown and two-point conversion in the last minute

Flash forward to this week. TCU comes in at 3-0 and has barely allowed opposing offenses out of their locker rooms, let alone allowed them positive yardage. SMU has shown signs that June Jones' explosive offensive game plan could take flight at any moment.

Regardless of the results coming into the game, the State Farm DFW Duel - Battle for the Iron Skillet remains as unpredictable as the Texas weather. About the only fact we know for sure is that they'll be no tie this time around.