CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The SMU Mustangs football team will kick off its first game as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday, August 24, as they take on Nevada at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
SMU, along with California and Stanford, joined the ACC after the ACC Board of Directors voted to formally admit the three schools on September 1, 2023. The Mustangs officially joined the ACC on July 1, 2024.
Under head coach Rhett Lashlee, who is in his third year at SMU, the Mustangs are coming off one of the best seasons in program history in 2023, posting an 11-3 record. The 11 wins were the most since 1982 and tied for the second most in program history.
SMU went unbeaten in league play during its final year as a member of the American Athletic Conference last year, capturing its first conference title since 1984. The Mustangs were bowl-eligible for the fifth straight season, marking the longest stretch in program history, and broke into the final College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in program history last year, finishing at 24th.
Picked to finish seventh in the 2024 ACC Preseason Poll, which was voted on by the media, SMU also received votes in both the Associated Press (AP) and US LBM Coaches preseason polls earlier this month.
The Mustangs' football program, based in Dallas, Texas, has a strong history. It has won three national championships (1935, 1981, and 1982), 12 conference championships, and made 21 bowl appearances. SMU has also produced one Heisman Trophy winner in Doak Walker (Ewell Doak Walker II), 26 first-team All-Americans, and has had 177 players selected in the NFL Draft.
SMU’s first home ACC event will be a men’s soccer match on Sept. 7, when the Mustangs host Pitt at Washburne Stadium. The Mustangs’ first ACC football game comes on Saturday, Sept. 28, when the Florida State visits Ford Stadium.
A nationally ranked private university located near the heart of Dallas, SMU is a distinguished center for global research and teaching. SMU's more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University's small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs. SMU's relationship with Dallas – the dynamic center of one of the nation's fastest-growing regions – offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.
SMU serves approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students through eight degree-granting schools: Cox School of Business, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman School of Law, Lyle School of Engineering, Meadows School of the Arts, Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Perkins School of Theology and Simmons School of Education and Human Development.
About the ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference, in its 72nd year and 18 members strong, stands as one of the most competitive and revered intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members including Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are dedicated to upholding the league's founding values of academic excellence, athletic competition at the highest level, and integrity. The ACC supports 28 NCAA sports, with 15 for women and 13 for men, and its member institutions span 12 states. In August 2019, the ACC and ESPN partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network exclusively devoted to ACC sports and original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow the ACC on Instagram (@accsports), Twitter (@theACC) and Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).