SMU was ready for this moment. There were undoubtedly questions about how a group of 5 school would make a transition to a power conference.
But the Mustangs continue to erase those doubts, first with a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024 and then a 9-4 mark in 2025, which included wins at Clemson and over Miami. SMU has gone 8-1 and 6-2 in ACC play, showing that coach Rhett Lashlee, the coaching staff and the players were prepared for the jump and able to win games consistently.
“We bet on ourself. You have to go perform,” Lashlee said on Friday at ACC Kickoff. “Fortunately we were able to make a good first impression. Last year was important that we backed it up. I know we didn't win the league, but to go win nine games, go 6-2 in the league, play well, have some good moments.
“Backed up that it wasn't a fluke. We have a chance to have staying power, to be a great member of this league, to compete for this league year in, year out, to compete for the College Playoff year in, year out. That's our goal.”
It’s a goal realized, perhaps ahead of schedule for the viewpoint of those outside the SMU community. And maybe we should have seen this coming. SMU passed up TV revenues from the ACC for its first nine years in the league just for the opportunity to join the league, to have a seat at the table in a power conference.
Administrators could do this, rolling the dice in Lashlee’s admission, because SMU’s boosters have delivered in supporting the program. Lashlee earned an extension after the 2025 season, in part keeping him from going to coach at Arkansas, his alma mater. And boosters stepped in to help Lashlee and his staff acquire high school talent (from talent-rich Texas) and add to it via the transfer portal.
The program was once handed the death penalty in the mid 1980s as a result of boosters paying players, which was detailed in an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary in 2010 called “Pony Excess,” and that’s now the thing that make college football teams successful in the 2010s with revenue sharing money as well as name, image and likeness donations. When the moment arrived at SMU to jump to the ACC, boosters were financially fired up to ante up.
“When you start thinking about SMU, we're not a blue blood, but we are a new blood,” Lashlee said. “When you start thinking about it along those lines, new blood is what we're currently doing. We're present.”
The present looks quite good. Beyond the 14-3 record in the ACC the last two years, SMU has one of the league’s most accomplished quarterbacks in Kevin Jennings, an experienced offensive line and a defense that allowed just 20.5 points last fall.
Jennings is up there with Miami’s Darian Mensah, who won an ACC title as Duke’s quarterback in 2025 (prior to a controversial last-minute transfer in January). In four seasons at SMU, Jennings has thrown for 7,709 yards, 55 touchdowns and 26 interceptions while completing 65 percent of his passes.
“I think his stats speak for itself, when you start returning Power Four quarterbacks, nobody has a better winning percentage of guys that have started for at least two years,” Lashlee said. “He's got the third most wins returning in the country, fifth in passing yards, fifth in total offense, fifth in touchdowns in returning Power Four quarterbacks.”
And Jennings will get a spotlight game to kick off his 2026 season. SMU will play at FSU on Labor Day.
“We know they're going to cause a lot of challenges. They're a great team. Open up with them week one, it's not an easy task going to Tallahassee, a very traditional school,” Jennings said. “Just a blessing to get the opportunity to play an ACC opponent in week one. They're going to come out fast, ready to play to beat us. We believe in our team. We know what we're going to do.”
In front of Jennings are four veteran offensive linemen, including a likely preseason All-ACC tackle in PJ Williams.
“You've got PJ, Josh Bates at center, Addison Nichols returning at right guard. Andrew Chamblee played a ton of football for us. Four guys who have played a lot of football,” Lashlee said. “… Offensively we have to be able to run the ball to control the game, protect the quarterback. O-line is the engine. Nobody on that field can do anything without those five guys. It's huge for us to have a lot of veteran guys coming back this year.”
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