Armed with an elite offensive line and quarterback continuity, Rhett Lashlee’s squad enters the ACC title conversation as a dominant force primed to claim conference supremacy.
The SMU Mustangs under Rhett Lashlee have proven that they can be there or thereabouts when it comes to contention in the ACC.
With so many preseason predictions having SMU as the second-best team in the conference, ahead of the likes of Clemson, Louisville, Virginia, Pittsburgh, and NC State, it is clear the Mustangs are in the thick of it in 2026.
Kevin Jennings returns to give the Mustangs continuity at quarterback, and looking at the offensive line, it could be one of the best in the conference.
Pair that with a defense that many consider to be good in 2026, and suddenly you have all the ingredients to not only be in contention, but to win it all.
Of course, there is still a lot to play out and plenty of things that could derail this train, such as injury, but there is every chance that SMU continues its recent pattern of winning games...and a lot of them.
Having managed back-to-back 11-win seasons before the 9-4 record last year, Lashlee's team, as he put it, does have the "staying power" to be a contender year after year.
But when looking at the Mustangs in 2026, what is a word we could use to describe them?
Contender, ascend, leap, excellence, dominance?
In truth, you could make a case for all of the above.
We know that the Mustangs have a great chance to be a contender not only in the ACC but also in the wider college football discussion.
Plus, given that they won nine games last season, there is every chance that, with their "soft" schedule, which sees them play a lot of home games in 2026, they could ascend.
And if they do that, then that is where excellence and dominance could come into play as well.
SMU has all the tools needed to be one of the teams to beat in college football, and the preseason predictions align with that.
One of the best teams in the ACC, and also seen as a top-20 team overall in college football by some, the Mustangs have every right to think that 2026 could be their year.
Yes, there is a lot of water to go under the bridge, but as things stand right now, Lashlee's team, at least in the ACC, has a good shot at being champs.
The big question is will they be?
