Rhett Lashlee says CFP closes chapter on SMU's 'death penalty' past

There was a time when all SMU football was known for was "the death penalty" it received from the NCAA in 1987 for the scandal of paying players to play college football.

That, of course, seems silly in 2024, because players can now get millions of dollars as recruits before they even step foot on the college football field.

It was a big deal back then, though, and the dubious title of being the only school to ever receive "the death penalty" from the NCAA has stuck with SMU for some time.

How bad was SMU hit? Well, amongst many other sanctions and penalties, the Mustangs' entire 1987 season was canceled and all their home games in 1988 were canceled. They were banned from bowl games and television until 1989 and the list went on and on.

It's especially interesting to look back on that time in SMU's history with the state of college football in 2024, especially when considering the fact that the Mustangs were just on national television playing in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

Their trip to Happy Valley didn't quite go the way they wanted to — it was a 38-10 loss for SMU — but head coach Rhett Lashlee felt that the Mustangs even being in the CFP against Penn State was a healing moment for the program.

"We’ve been revived. That’s over. That chapter is closed. We’ve moved on. It’s a part of our past and history just like everybody’s got parts of their past in history, but that’s what I mean by this team raised the standard and the expectations for SMU football. They made our entire school proud. They made our entire city proud," Lashlee said in a post-game news conference (h/t On3).

On the field, it wasn't a great showing for the Mustangs. Sophomore quarterback Kevin Jennings threw three interceptions and SMU was just 3-of-13 on third down. Meanwhile, Penn State rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, which included a 6.4 yards per carry average from both Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

So no, it wasn't a great game for SMU. The moment was so much more than the actual football game for the Mustangs, though, especially considering that this was their first season in a "big time" conference.

"We’ve proven we belong. We’ve proven we can play with the big programs in America,” Lashlee said.