There have been several points in college football history when the SMU Mustangs were in the sport’s elite. In 1935, they won a national championship.
They were regular contenders in the Southwest Conference (which included Texas, Arkansas, and Texas A&M back then) through much of the time between the 1930s and the 1980s, finishing #2 in the polls after the 1981 season despite having the nation’s only unbeaten record.
They received an unprecedented (and unduplicated) “death penalty” for recruiting violations and did not have football for the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
Furthermore, they returned in 1989, but the program was a shell of its former self. Once the Southwest Conference disbanded, they found themselves adrift in everything from Conference USA to the Western Athletic Conference to the American Athletic Conference.
In 2023, they won their first conference football title since 1984, beating Tulane in the AAC title game. Now they will enter 2024 as part of the ACC.
Their talent looks solid on paper at many of the skill positions, but in 2023, they went 0-3 against Power 4 competition (Oklahoma, TCU and Boston College).
How will they compete? Take a look at their sports betting odds to win the ACC and the national championship, as well as our thoughts about their prospects.
College Football Betting Odds: SMU Mustangs 2024 Season Analysis & Lines
- Odds to Win the ACC Title: +1600
- Odds to Win the National Championship: +26000
Preston Stone in Action
SMU will have quarterback Stone back for Week 1. His 2023 season ended early thanks to a leg injury.
Backup Kevin Jennings led the Mustangs to a win in the AAC Championship, but Stone is a much better downfield passer.
He threw for 3,197 yards and posted a 28:6 TD:INT ratio for the season.
^Players Stats
Wide receiver Jake Bailey led the team last year in yardage and is back. Tight end RJ Maryland was second on the team in catches and scored seven touchdowns.
Tailbacks Jaylan Knighton, L.J. Johnson and Camar Wheaton are an interchangeable trio that will combine for more than 1,500 rushing yards.
All of them do well in yards after first contact, and if teams are loading up on the blitz, the Mustangs have shown the patience to run draw plays and screen passes to take advantage.
^SMU Offensive
The team does have question marks on the offensive line.
Those questions loomed large in the Fenway Bowl loss to Boston College, as the Eagles’ lines were bigger than the Mustangs’ on both sides of the ball.
However, the team is ninth in the nation in returning production and ranked 21st last year in EPA per play.
Pass protection wasn’t the issue, though – Logan Parr and Justin Osborne are both solid in that part of the blocking game, and the incoming starters should be able to hold their own.
^Mustangs Defense
The defense ranked sixth in EPA per play, and five of the seven players who posted at least three sacks last year are back.
Deuce Harmon (Texas A&M) and Jahfari Harvey (Miami) have both transferred in to bolster that unit.
It was this side of the ball that won the team its conference championship. In addition to the pass rush, there were turnovers for points.
Elijah Roberts posted ten sacks last year and is back.
Kori Roberson returns for the interior, but such transfers as Mike Lockhart (West Virginia), Anthony Booker (Arkansas) and Jonathan Jefferson (Georgia) should help solve some of the interior problems that BC caused in the Fenway Bowl and that Oklahoma caused in the teams’ regular-season matchup.
The top seven tacklers are all back, including linebackers Ahmad Walker and Kobe Wilson and safeties Isaiah Nwokobia and Jonathan McGill.
The run defense has to be better this year. The three SMU losses came in games where the defense allowed at least 189 yards on the ground.
^SMU Mustangs Regular Season Wins
SMU is the favorite in 10 of their 12 games this season. Their toughest games are a home date with Florida State and a road date with Louisville.
Their non-conference schedule is stouter than usual, though, with games against BYU and TCU.
Circle October 5 on the calendar – SMU’s trip to Louisville.
If they can win that game, they will have a shot at making a run at the ACC title game, even if their ACC opener (at home against the Seminoles) doesn’t go well.
^Bringing the tempo to the ACC.#PonyUpDallas pic.twitter.com/DcfngZksHS
— SMU Football (@SMUFB) July 22, 2024
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