As I sat at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Saturday night, it wasn't until the SMU section started chanting "Iron Skillet" that I remembered that it wasn't going to be an ordinary loss.We didn't just lose the game; we lost the Skillet too.

And for the first time in a long time, the Battle for the Iron Skillet mattered to me.

I guess the Skillet is just one of those things you don't miss until it's gone. Because TCU has won the "rivalry" game every year I've been here, and I never cared.

"You're not rushing? Why not? You're the only person I've met that isn't going Greek."As I attempted to socialize with the girls at my Frog Camp this summer, the shock and awe of my disinterest in the "so amazing" Greek cult of TCU left me feeling like I had picked the wrong university to attend.

I obviously didn't fit in, and the fact that I drove an 8-year-old Dodge Avenger and didn't live off daddy's credit card didn't exactly help. People would unwillingly shake my hand and introduce themselves, but soon walk away and join the "cool kid" group.

SMU students wearing red "TCU Sucks" shirts cheered loudly as the Mustang band marched down "The Boulevard," SMU's traditional tailgate spot, minutes before kickoff in the battle for the Iron Skillet on Saturday night in Dallas.From the looks of it, one would have thought the SMU-TCU rivalry was as fierce as ever, but instead, SMU alumni, students and administrators said the rivalry has lost some steam over the years and now provides simply an excuse for students to let loose.

On Monday, the confirmation hearings for John Roberts began. With the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, President Bush nominated Roberts to fill Rehnquist's position, after Roberts had already been nominated to fill Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's position.This came as a bit of a surprise to some. Roberts is relatively young and has far less experience compared to the team of well-seasoned justices that he would be leading.

O'Connor, has put off her retirement due to the recent events.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth - and years later, football.This new creation gave birth to rivalries, which released the competitive spirits among avid football lovers around the country.

The TCU-SMU rivalry dates back to 1915, and the 86th meeting in the series took place Saturday in Dallas.

The SMU Mustangs saddled up against the TCU Horned Frogs in a fierce competition known as the Battle for the Iron Skillet. The original Iron Skillet, created after World War II, has since been lost, but the trophy was revived in 1993.

Senior Laura Crowe, along with two other TCU students, participated in officer candidate school this summer and graduated second in the nation out of all of the women who participated.Seniors Nathan Cross and Kevin Shipton, along with Crowe, were among 1,000 participants from across the nation in Quantico, Va. this summer for the Marine Corps.

"Early to rise and late to bed" is the best way to explain the daily experience at camp, said Shipton, a sociology major.