SMU Mustangs:

The well-traveled SMU football team is now a member of the ACC after more than a decade in the AAC. The Mustangs were a Conference USA member from 2005-12 and played in the WAC from 1996-2004. The ironic thing is that Rhett Lashlee’s team won its first conference title since 1984 in the Southwest Conference last year with a perfect AAC record and an 11-2 mark overall.

So, the move to the ACC comes at a pretty good time, as this is a solid roster capable of stepping into the conference and competing right away. Though SMU lost to Boston College in the Fenway Bowl, their only regular season losses were against Oklahoma and TCU, so I think they’re dangerous this year.

 

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Offense

The Mustangs deserve a ton of credit for that AAC Title Game win over Tulane because it came without QB Preston Stone. Stone was injured at the tail end of the first half in a 59-14 win over Navy on November 25. Stone was 14-of-19 for 322 yards and three touchdowns in the first half before suffering a broken leg. The rehab process has been a success and he’s ready to take aim at the ACC after posting nearly 3,200 passing yards and a 28/6 TD/INT ratio.

From a returning production standpoint, Lashlee’s crew is in great shape. The top three backs combined for 1,731 yards and they are all back. Five pass catchers had 400+ receiving yards and they are all back. A little turnover on the offensive line is worth watching in a conference with some good edge rushers, but SMU is loaded otherwise.

Defense

Yes, the offense was 31st in yards per play and eighth in points per game, but what took SMU to the mountaintop was the defense. They ranked sixth in yards per play allowed after finishing 105th in 2022 and 96th in 2021. Only one team (Penn State) registered more sacks than SMU’s 47 last season.

That unit also features a lot of returning production, but it was also the focal point for Lashlee’s portal bucks, so the Mustangs bring an even deeper defense to the ACC than they had last season. There are a lot of reasons for optimism in Dallas.

Outlook

But, there is one reason for pessimism. When stepping up in class, SMU has struggled. Power Four wins are few and far between. They were 0-3 last season and 0-2 in 2022 (plus losses to Cincinnati, UCF, and BYU, who all went to the Big 12 the following season). Now, they’re stepping up in class for every conference game. I love the roster and the returning production, though, and it seems like boosters opened their wallets with the Power Four move. I have SMU at 9.15 wins, one of my biggest win total overlays.

Pick: Over 8 Wins

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