Texas football fans love a good rivalry. And the game-day clash that has grown between TCU and Baylor University soon will be declared official. The matchup will be known as the Bluebonnet Battle, with the first officialy named rivalry game to be played at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.
The student government associations at both universities recently introduced and successfully passed resolutions in their respective houses of student representatives to make the declaration for the match as old as any in Texas.
“TCU and Baylor have a long rivalry with 118 football games played since 1899, making this football game one of the most consistently played in the country,” Joe Winick, TCU SGA president, said. “With this being TCU’s 150th, we wanted to formalize the rivalry this year.”
Winick, who gives credit for the idea to his Baylor Bears counterparts, said the TCU resolution, H.R. 110-02 was introduced Sept. 19 and passed unanimously. The Baylor version similarly passed Sept. 11. In addition to formalizing the rivalry, the resolution called for the Big 12 Conference to guard the annual game as the conference grows. Additionally, should there ever be a conference realignment, TCU and Baylor will “make every effort to continue to protect the rivalry.”
With a pause on TCU’s Iron Skillet rivalry with Southern Methodist University (following the 2025 season), the timing and impetus for officially naming this rivalry happened coincidentally.
“All of this fell into place somewhat on accident,” Winick said. “I got a phone call from the Baylor SGA president, and they wanted to see this happen in time for this year’s game.”
Winick and other SGA members pushed the resolution on an expedited timeline, working in lockstep with their Baylor counterparts over the summer. Winick said Kim Turner, executive director of student governance and traditions, helped them navigate the university’s system. That included meetings with Jeremiah Donati, director of intercollegiate athletics, university attorneys and, ultimately, the chancellor.
“Here we were with this student-backed initiative from two rival colleges, all on a tight schedule,” Winick said. “There were a lot of questions, but in the end, everyone fully embraced it. Also, because I was working with another school’s SGA that had to go through more steps for approvals, I found that TCU has a lot of trust in us to carry out our mission.”
The Bluebonnet Battle title was chosen because the two SGAs wanted a Texas-centric name. The two-piece trophy is made of a mesquite wood base that holds a removable metal shield. Indicative of a battle shield, it is 36 inches wide and engraved with bluebonnets, the school logos and the state of Texas outline, and includes a leather strap on the back. Like the Iron Skillet, the trophy will pass back and forth to the winner.
Hopefully, Winick said, it’s not going to Waco any time soon.