DALLAS -- During Monday evening's meeting with reporters, SMU coach Sonny Dykes spoke about where his football team currently is -- and where it could go if it continues to work the way it has.

A 3-0 start, the best start for SMU since 1984, is something to hang a hat on. The Mustangs can pick up a huge victory Saturday on the road against No. 25 TCU to remain unbeaten.

It would be huge in that victories over TCU always have meant bragging rights in the past. The Mustangs lost, 42-12, to the Horned Frogs last year, and TCU leads the all-time series, 51-40-7.

Consider Saturday an opportunity for payback. While Saturday will be a great opportunity for the Mustangs to pull off a solid win, Dykes on Monday stressed the importance of Saturday not being the be-all and end-all.

"Our goal is not to upset TCU. Our goal is to play for a conference championship and win a conference championship," Dykes said. "We'd like to beat TCU along the way, without a doubt. I have the same goals and aspirations as [TCU coach] Gary [Patterson] does. Gary wants to win the Big 12. We want to win the American Athletic Conference."

Dykes said playing a clean game in all three facets -- offense, defense and special teams -- will serve as a major catalyst in taking home a win in Fort Worth. And despite putting up 639 yards in last Saturday's win against Texas State -- the third-most yards in SMU program history -- Dykes said there was a bunch of errors that can be fixed in every facet.

SMU knows what TCU can do, and the Horned Frogs were impressive in a 34-13 win over Purdue. It was a game where TCU only allowed 204 total yards and eight first downs. Dykes considers Saturday a solid opportunity for his team to show just how far it's come.

"We play TCU in a nonconference game, and it's a big deal because it's a top-25 team and a good football team," he said. "It's a measuring stick for us to see how far we've come in a year and how much we've improved. It gives us credibility."

Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium