From death penalty to power play: SMU rebirth in college football

SMU’s football resurgence is one of the boldest in college sports history—rooted in scandal, revived by billionaires, and fueled by ambition. To join the ACC in 2024, SMU gave up over $200 million in TV revenue, betting on deep-pocketed alumni instead. “It’s a couple hundred million dollars,” said Board Chair David Miller. “I’m not losing sleep over it.”

The gamble worked. Just five days after the ACC announcement, the school raised $100 million, with four gifts topping $10 million. Overall, SMU pulled in a record $159 million in athletics donations for the 2023–24 fiscal year. Power donors include:

• Clark Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs owner),

• Bill Armstrong, a wildcat oilman who pledged $15M, saying, “Here come all the billionaires.”

• David Miller, who led the charge: “There is a mountain of excitement and enthusiasm that we’re back.”

SMU built a $100M end zone facility, created a robust NIL program (players get $36,000 annually), and added 18 Power Four transfers. Under coach Rhett Lashlee, the team went 11–3, won the AAC, and nearly beat Clemson in the ACC title game. This was good enough to get them into the inaugural College Football Playoff, where they faced Penn State..

But this climb comes after a fall.

In the 1980s, SMU was Dallas’ pride—until its infamous pay-for-play scandal led to the NCAA “death penalty” in 1987. “It almost brought the entire university to its knees,” Miller recalled. The school’s image tanked, enrollment dropped, and donors vanished. Former star Eric Dickerson later asked if SMU should just drop football. “We’re only winning three or four games a year. It was a joke,” he said. “We’re not a laughingstock anymore.”

Now, the program has rebuilt with swagger and strategy. “We’re in Dallas, Texas. We’re in the center of the football universe,” said Armstrong. “It’s about time we came back.” SMU didn’t just want money—it wanted respect. And it bought its way back in. “We’re all-in,” said AD Rick Hart. And now, says Miller, “The beast is about to emerge.”