TCU coach Sonny Dykes takes major dig at USC for move to Big Ten

TCU coach Sonny Dykes made a surprising move after the 2021 regular season. He chose to leave SMU for their biggest rival, TCU. With the AAC destabilizing under the weight of conference realignment, he felt that there was more opportunity as the head coach of a Big 12 school. It’s something that’s given him a unique perspective on the rivalry.

During a press conference, Sonny Dykes was asked about the importance of the Battle for the Iron Skillet, the annual series of Dallas-Fort Worth rival SMU. He used the opportunity to take a shot at USC.

“I think it makes sense for teams that are close to each other to play each other. You know, that’s why it makes so much sense for USC to be in the Big Ten … they’re right there next to each other,” Sonny Dykes said.

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The sarcasm in what Sonny Dykes had to say was obvious. USC, a Los Angeles school, is nowhere near the rest of the Big Ten geographically. This, in turn, will make it harder to have natural rivals. Of course, that ignores that UCLA is also going to the Big Ten.

USC and UCLA announced they were moving to the Big Ten in June. In August, the conference announced a $7 billion media deal. In doing so, the Big Ten completely changed the dynamic between the Power 5 conferences.

However, Sonny Dykes made the same decision in many ways. He left SMU for rival TCU because they could pay more money and offer more potential in the future. They were all looking out for themselves first and foremost. On the other hand, Dykes could also just be bitter that he went 0-4 against USC when he was the coach at Cal.

Sonny Dykes will have a chance to show off how great regional rivalries are when he plays SMU on September 24th.