TCU Coach Sonny Dykes Throws Shade At USC's Big 10 Move
College football realignment has created a number of new, unusual, matchups with little connection to geography. And Sonny Dykes is worried.
Rutgers is now in the same conference as the Indiana Hoosiers, for example.
For some, the massive shift in geographical relationships has created significant concerns among fans that traditional rivalries will be tossed aside as team's increasingly chase enhanced revenues.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes seemingly shares those concerns.
When asked about the importance of the TCU-Southern Methodist rivalry, Dykes took the opportunity to bring up that it "makes sense for teams that are close to each other to play each other," sarcastically comparing it to USC's move to the Big 10:
Sonny Dykes Has A Point
Sonny Dykes obviously has a point. Teams that are nearby naturally develop a dislike for each other that creates a rivalry, and rivalries are good for the sport.
Texas and Texas A&M are one example of a localized rivalry that's been affected by the realignment storm sweeping across college football. The teams have played 118 times, but once A&M moved to the SEC, it became a lot harder to maintain the rivalry. (This problem will go away once Texas joins the SEC in 2024.)
USC's jump to the Big 10 means there will be weeks where the Trojans travel to Minnesota or New Jersey for games, destinations thousands of miles away from Los Angeles.
While they play Notre Dame in Indiana every other year, it's still a significant adjustment to go from road trips to Arizona or the Bay Area to traveling to Iowa, Purdue or Wisconsin every other week.
TCU, for their part, remains in the Big 12 and will matchup with SMU for the 101st time on Sept. 24.
If Sonny Dykes has his way, that local rivalry will continue for many more years to come.