SMU board chair David B. Miller takes dig at Big 12, calls ACC 'top three' conference

With its historic move to the ACC, SMU is having some celebratory proceedings on campus, and SMU board chair David B. Miller is not being shy about what this move means to the program.

It’s a dream come true for SMU. And Miller was sure to get a quick dig in at the Big 12.

“Here we are today, a new member of one of the top three — remember what I said, one of the top three — collegiate athletic conferences in the United States,” Miller said.

With the Big Ten and SEC widely recognized as the top two conferences in college football, by revenue distribution, the jockeying for the third most important conference has continued in recent weeks. The three additions to the ACC on Friday gives the league 18 teams, putting it on par with the Big Ten.

Miller shared more thoughts on the move to the ACC, in a statement provided to Dallas Cowboys reporter for LoneStarLive.com Joseph Hoyt:

“This is such an important day for SMU,” Miller said. “Becoming a member of the ACC will positively impact all aspects of the collegiate experience on the Hilltop and will raise SMU’s profile on a national level. SMU is committed to excellence in everything we do, and this move will strengthen that commitment.

“I want to thank everyone who has helped position SMU for this important moment because a moment like this doesn’t just happen. It is the culmination of the collective investments made by many over a long period of time — investments in infrastructure, in programs, and in people. We made these investments because while doing so did not guarantee an outcome, not doing so almost certainly would.

“Now, we are thrilled to have this opportunity and are excited for our future. SMU is ready to bring ACC Championships home to Dallas.”

Could the Iron Skillet rivalry survive?

SMU was part of a major realignment move on the eve of Saturday of Week 1, joining Stanford and Cal in joining the ACC. And SMU’s local rival, TCU, has already been pressed about the annual football game for the Iron Skillet.

TCU AD Jeremiah Donati demurred on Friday when asked about potentially re-upping the series. As of now, it’s poised to cease after 2025 because TCU is indefinitely “pausing” scheduling the Mustangs.

“Possibly. … When the dust settles, we’ll have a discussion with them,” Donati said of resuming the rivalry further down the line, according to the The Athletic’s David Ubben.

The last time SMU and TCU did not play each other is relatively recent, as Covid-19 nixed the 2020 matchup, a game scheduled to be played at SMU. TCU wound up not playing a nonconference game that season and just faced nine Big 12 opponents.

One has to go back to the late 1980s in order to find the last multi-year stretch where the Dallas-Fort Worth rivals did not play for the Iron Skillet. There have been 101 matchups between the two in total in the history of the rivalry.

And for it to continue, it would be come and Big 12 vs. ACC clash — not a new rivalry, but perhaps a new out-of-conference rivalry as the college football landscape shifts.