Well, TCU football coach Sonny Dykes is no “dummy” but the 54-year-old is going to have a hard time shrugging off his latest outburst. It was just another gallon of fuel to the fire powering Dallas' Battle for the Iron Skillet feud. The TCU football leader was ejected after arguing a few questionable calls a bit too loudly amid a 41-21 halftime deficit.

TCU had a touchdown called back on the second half's opening kickoff. An incensed Dykes was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The next play was a 22-yard gain to start the possession, but the head coach was not done yelling expletives at the officials.  Dykes, who coached the SMU Mustangs from 2018-2021, might not be welcome back on campus soon.

Not after a WWE heel turn-worthy exit from the stadium while being on the wrong side of a riviarly blowout.

This new development makes handicapping the rest of the TCU-SMU clash practically impossible.

It did not have to be this messy. Dykes helped resurrect the SMU program with a winning tenure by going 25-10 over the last three seasons. The Mustangs did not want to pony up the money to keep the coach, however. Dykes then took his talents to the other side of Dallas. Unfortunately, Texas' Iron Skillet square-off is being effectively killed due to conference realignment. The Horned Frogs and Mustangs are not scheduled to meet again, ever, so saying this could be the last time Dykes was on campus is not hyperbole.

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TCU football's short time at the top

Dykes had the Horned Frogs in the NCAA College Football Playoffs National Championship game two years ago.  He is 4-1 in the Battle for the Iron Skillet though without counting this ejection game. Now it's hard to see when a second 2024 Big 12 victory will be marked into the record books though. A one-point loss to the University of Central Florida Golden Knights was a big setback. TCU will only be favored in one more game all season.

Falling from grace is an ignominy left to the true blue bloods like the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines. TCU started that season unranked after all. Their time at the top was short but Dykes apparently still has the fire to keep going. He led SMU to 14th in some of 2019's season-ending polls, the highest the Mustangs have been since 1984 per USA Today.

How he can keep the Horned Frogs competitive from the locker room is another story.