Rhett Lashlee’s squad enters 2026 at No. 19, signaling a shift in Dallas culture. With Heisman hopeful Kevin Jennings back, the Mustangs aim to cement their ACC powerhouse status.
There was a time when simply seeing SMU's name anywhere near the AP Top 25 would've represented quite the accomplishment. Those days feel pretty far away now.
The Mustangs will enter the 2026 season ranked No. 19 in the preseason AP Top 25, giving Rhett Lashlee's program another reminder of just how much expectations have changed in Dallas.
SMU received 434 points in the poll, comfortably placing the Mustangs inside the Top 25 and making them one of only three ACC teams to earn a preseason ranking.
Miami leads the conference at No. 7, while SMU sits at No. 19 and Louisville checks in at No. 24.
Not bad company, but SMU has spent the last three seasons establishing that it probably belongs there.
The Mustangs have won at least nine games in three consecutive seasons under Lashlee, going 11-3 in 2023, 11-3 in 2024 and 9-4 last season. Their latest run ended with a 24-19 victory over Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.
Now Kevin Jennings is back for another run.
The veteran quarterback has become the face of what SMU has built under Lashlee, and the Mustangs have already launched a Heisman Trophy campaign around him entering 2026.
Jennings has also been working his way back from a jammed finger on his throwing hand that briefly limited him during training camp.
And he likes what he's seeing from the group around him.
"Think it went really well honestly," Jennings said of camp, via CBS News Texas. "I'm seeing new guys make plays out there, guys flying around, high energy, everybody looked pretty good."
That sounds like an encouraging start for a program attempting to continue what has become quite the three-year run.
And now we know AP voters are buying into SMU again, too.
The Mustangs finished ahead of several recognizable programs in the preseason poll, including No. 20 Tennessee, No. 21 Utah and No. 22 Iowa. Clemson, Florida and TCU were among the teams left outside the Top 25 entirely.
Of course, preseason rankings don't win football games.
SMU learned that lesson firsthand after entering last season ranked No. 16 before eventually finishing 9-4.
But even that preseason ranking represented something bigger. It was the first time since 1985 that SMU entered a season ranked in the AP poll.
Now it's happened two years in a row.
And after three straight seasons with at least nine victories, No. 19 isn't exactly the destination for a program whose expectations have continued to climb.
It's the starting point.
The conversation surrounding SMU isn't about whether the Mustangs belong in the Top 25 anymore.
It's about how far they can climb once the games actually begin.
