SMU Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

SMU hosts Florida State as Mustangs return to power conference play

By Victor Haltom | Last updated Sep 26, 2024 12:02 PM ET

From 1918 to 1996, the SMU Mustangs played in the Southwest Conference. It was a prominent conference, with member universities including Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, TCU, Baylor and others. The Mustangs won or shared the conference championship 11 times, with the last title in 1984.

Infamously, SMU's football program received the college football "death penalty" in 1987, with the NCAA canceling the Mustangs' season. SMU voluntarily opted out of the 1988 season, concerned it would be unable to field a competitive team. A few seasons later, the Southwest Conference folded, and the Mustangs, reeling from the devastating impact of the death penalty, joined the Western Athletic Conference in 1996. For the next quarter century, the Mustangs languished in relative obscurity, not playing in a top-tier conference.

This season, however, marks SMU's return to power conference status. Along with the Cal Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal, the Mustangs joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The ACC welcomes Cal, SMU and Stanford to the league in 2024!

Read more: https://t.co/9vhMMdDCq1 pic.twitter.com/N2ugGLAert
— The ACC (@theACC) September 1, 2023

On Sept. 28, the Mustangs play their first ACC game, hosting the Florida State Seminoles at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. The Mustangs enter the game with a 3-1 record and are coming off an impressive 66-42 win over TCU. The Seminoles lost their first three games of the season, but they defeated Cal 14-9 in Tallahassee on Sept. 21.

For the first time this season, the Seminoles are an underdog. Per BetMGM, the Mustangs are favored by 5.5 points.

SMU's only loss this season came at the hands of the undefeated BYU Cougars, an 18-15 slugfest in which BYU held SMU to five field goals. That game resulted in coach Rhett Lashlee replacing quarterback Preston Stone with Kevin Jennings. The move apparently worked, as the Mustangs scored 66 against TCU in the following game.

After going undefeated in the regular season last year, and with the acquisition of quarterback DJ Uiagalelei through the transfer portal, the Seminoles began their 2024 campaign with high expectations. However, the FSU offense has yet to get going consistently. Florida State has yet to score more than 21 points in a game this season.

The Mustangs look to "pony up" for their fans in their first game back in the "big leagues."

Victor Haltom

Victor Haltom began his undergraduate studies at SMU, then transferred to Penn State, graduating with BA in philosophy. He has extensive writing and editing experience, with over 250 sports-related articles having been published.

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