It got a little shaky at times in the Holiday Bowl, but after going up 24-0 on #17 9-3 Arizona, SMU won 24-20, completing another 9+ win season at SMU.
That makes 3 straight seasons SMU has won 9 or more games. When you do that in the American conference, that’s good. When you do that in your first season in the ACC in 2024, that gains even more attention. Maybe the ACC just wasn’t that good last year. They went 2-11 bowls and 3-11 against the SEC. The ACC didn’t have a team get past the 1st round of the playoffs either.
Now, SMU is still winning, and the ACC is considerably better. 8-4 in bowls, and 7-6 against the SEC. Miami has made it to the semi-finals of the CFP playoffs and could end up national champions.
Thought it all Rhett Lashlee keeps winning a lot of ball games. Miami is a legitimate top 4 football team, and guess who knocked them off earlier in the season? SMU and Rhett Lashlee…
When the Hurricanes face Ole Miss, they will be better prepared because they played SMU. SMU is the most similar opponent to Ole Miss that Miami has played all year – up-tempo offense, mobile QB with an arm, aggressive and opportunistic on defense, but not dominant on the defensive line of scrimmage.
Kevin Jennings threw for over 350 yards against Miami, and it took OT, but nobody scored more points against Miami than SMU.
I’m not predicting a certain Miami win, but I don’t think Ole Miss will bring much the Canes haven’t seen.
Are there 10 better coaches in America than Lashlee in 2025?
Ryan Day, Curt Cignetti, Kirby Smart, maybe Dan Lanning, possibly Mario Cristobal with a national title, and who? I’d take Lashlee over Lane Kiffin. BYU’s Kalani Sitake is really good, and who else? Dabo Swinney has two titles, but that’s ancient history.
SMU is lucky to have Lashlee, and the ACC made a smart move expanding the league to include the Mustangs. They have made the ACC a better athletic league.
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