TCU may be favored by more than three touchdowns in this upcoming DFW Duel, but all of the pressure to win is still on the Horned Frogs.

The Mustangs have absolutely nothing to lose. They have already lost two out of three games and will be hungry for a victory after a big loss to Texas Tech.

Furthermore, this is a rivalry game. Anything can happen when rivals meet and SMU has home field advantage. It may not count for as much as normal since TCU fans will flock from Fort Worth to Gerald J. Ford Stadium, but the psychological affect on players could be enough to keep the game close.

Conversely, TCU has everything to lose. TCU has a perfect record, a top-30 ranking and aspirations for a conference championship and bowl victory. A loss to SMU would ruin the Horned Frog’s ranking and record (not to mention make TCU look less appealing when it comes time to hand out bowl bids).

For all these reasons, Horned Frog fans should be at the least apprehensive about the negative results that could stem from this game.

In reality, TCU has a much better statistical chance of winning the Saturday night game. But statistics do not count for much during a rivalry game. Take a look at the football game three years ago or even the basketball game last year.

When SMU rebuilds its program, the rivalry will be renewed and become much more passionate. The rivalry still exists, but it could become much more relevant if both teams are ranked and a loss would devastate either team.

In the end, if SMU loses, SMU students will not really care about the loss. There are better things to do in Dallas to occupy time.

Now in Fort Worth, I understand why TCU fans and students would never leave a game. Do not call it school spirit. Just admit there is absolutely nothing better to do in Fort Worth. You can only go cow tipping so many times.

Besides a better location, SMU has many advantages. The Mustangs’ team colors and uniforms are significantly better.

SMU just redesigned its uniforms with a throwback to the classic jerseys from the 1980s. On the other hand, TCU’s jerseys could easily be the worst uniforms in the NCAA. It is possible that a color-blind clown picked the colors.

I am going out on a limb and predicting SMU wins the game, the actual football game. Even if SMU does not win the actual game, SMU fans will be able to sleep at night comforted by the fact that SMU is still better than TCU. Frankly, it will not be the first game, or last, that the Mustangs will lose this season. However, if TCU loses, will the Horned Frog faithful be able to live with the fact that they just lost to a team that was 1-11 last season?

Zack Wehner is the sports editor for the SMU Daily Campus.