The match-up has geographic relevance, as North Texas and SMU are the largest public and private universities in the DFW area respectively.

Its name is derived from a challenge from former UNT head coach Matt Simon, who after a two year break in the series, stated "I'd like to play because I think we could beat them, and my players feel the same way.

The series has been ongoing since its renewal in 2013, and is expected to continue as North Texas joins SMU in the American Athletic Conference in 2023.

When the series resumed in the 1970s, the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium both held vastly more fans than Fouts Field could.

Fouts Field hosted its first Safeway Bowl in 1990, which North Texas won to snap a six-game losing streak in the series.