DENTON and UNIVERSITY PARK -- It’s been a while since SMU vs. North Texas has mattered. Just three years ago, it was a battle between a 1-win and 2-win team.

That won’t be the case this year. All of a sudden, SMU vs. North Texas is the battle between two teams hungry for national recognition.

“It’s always a good rivalry,” UNT linebacker E.J. Ejiya said, calling it a fight for control of the Metroplex. “This is what we’ve been looking forward to since the winter workouts, spring workouts and fall camp. Everyone’s mindset is ready to go and we’re ready to play.”

These two programs recruit against each other. Both have interesting coaches and prolific quarterbacks. This game has major ramifications for both programs. 

UNT on the rise

It took just two years for North Texas head coach Seth Littrell to turn a disastrous situation into a destination. Former players like Graham Harrell and Tashard Choice joined the staff and wanted to be part of something special.

However, everything changed when Mason Fine took over as full-time starting quarterback in 2017. Fine immediately turned North Texas into an elite passing offense. He threw for more than 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns as a true sophomore. He's almost certainly going to set the all-time UNT passing record this season, and still has another year of eligibility remaining. 

For the first time in a very long time, UNT football has high expectations. But Littrell isn’t remotely fazed by them.

“Those are your expectations, we’ve always had expectations,” Litrell said. “We’re always going to set high goals, have high standards and we have high expectations here. As coaches and players, that’s never going to change."

But even if they are our expectations, they’re rising quickly. UNT is the trendy pick to repeat as the Conference-USA West Division. And really, only Lane Kiffin’s FAU team stands in the way of being conference title favorites.

Saturday’s game marks one of the biggest in Denton history. Multiple sources confirm that the program expects an attendance record, and could even sell out the 30,850-seat Apogee Stadium for the first time.

Beating SMU would be a strong message to the nation that UNT football is here – and here to stay.

SMU regrouping, but ready

The Mustangs qualified for a bowl game in 2017 for the first time in five years. It ultimately cost SMU head coach Chad Morris, who left to take the job at Arkansas.

After a year out of coaching, SMU hired Sonny Dykes to try and maintain the rise. In some way, the hire was slightly uninspired. Dykes was let go at Cal after trying to leverage his position into interviews with other programs. However, he immediately steps into a situation with a roster that’s ready to compete.

“You want it all to happen overnight, want them to be able to take a magic pill and be ready, but that’s just not the way it works,” Dykes said. “They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do. The only way we’re going to improve on things is go out and play on Saturdays.”

Quarterback Ben Hicks threw for 3,522 yards and 33 touchdowns last season, but loses star wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Trey Quinn.

“I think it’s good that we play them Week 1 because everyone is ready to play Week 1,” Hicks said. “We play them every year so we know what to expect. We have to match their intensity because it’s a home game for them. They’ve got a lot of confidence after winning nine games last year, being able to match their intensity will be a big deal for us.”

This is Dykes' first game as SMU head coach. It will set the tone for the rest of his career in Dallas. Winning a rivalry game would be a great start. 

Bringing it back

The UNT vs. SMU game has been nicknamed the “Safeway Bowl,” and for good reason. More than 20 years ago, when the two teams were negotiating to restart the rivalry, UNT coach Matt Simon had some fighting words.

“I’d like to play because I think we could beat them, and my players feel the same way. If they’d like to play on a Safeway parking lot...just give us a date and time.”

Even though the teams didn’t play again for another 12 years, the Safeway Bowl was born.

While SMU’s 31-5-1 record against UNT is dominant, it also lacks context. Denton didn’t host a game until 1990. The eight games since have shifted dramatically.

UNT is 3-5 against SMU in the years since. More importantly, the Mean Green are an impressive 3-1 in Denton. This could be the best team UNT has ever brought to the Safeway Bowl.

“I think this is going to be a big game for North Texas,” Dykes said. “It’s always a good game for them to get a sense of where they are as a program. I think it’s a big game for us, it’s a huge game for us. It’s an in-city rival.”

It’s not too much of an exaggeration to say this is the biggest home game in UNT’s modern history.

“I expect a big crowd on Saturday,” Hicks said. “We have to match their intensity. If we don’t match that, it could start like how it did last year when they went up 10-0 and we had to fight back into it.”

There are plenty of other connections between the teams too. Littrell and Dykes have a relationship dating back to their time at Texas Tech. Their wives are good friends. It could make for an extra interesting game plan.

“He knows me, I know him,” Dykes said. “I think when you know somebody like we do, I think we try to do things that are unexpected.”

North Texas and SMU kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Apogee Stadium in Denton.