SMU’s 2027 ACC football schedule brings Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech and Stanford to Dallas, while the Mustangs face five conference road games.
SMU football already knows what much of its 2027 ACC schedule will look like, and the conference slate will bring several notable opponents to Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
The ACC announced Wednesday that Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech and Stanford will visit Dallas in 2027, while the Mustangs will travel to Cal, Virginia, Boston College, Pittsburgh and Duke.
It’ll be the second season under the ACC’s expanded scheduling format, which moves most programs to nine conference games.
Beginning in 2027, 16 of the league’s 17 teams are scheduled to play nine ACC contests, with each program also required to reach at least 10 games against Power Four competition.
For SMU, that requirement won’t be difficult to reach.
The Mustangs are already scheduled to open the 2027 season against Oklahoma at AT&T Stadium, adding another major matchup to a schedule that now includes four ACC home games and five conference road trips.
The Clemson game immediately stands out.
SMU has already shown it can compete with one of the ACC’s traditional powers. The Mustangs defeated Clemson 35-24 on the road in 2025, a result Rhett Lashlee called “a big step for our program.”
Lashlee has also made no secret of the standard SMU is chasing.
“In order to get our program to that level where year in and year out that’s the expectation, that’s the reality, you have to be able to play teams like that and find a way to beat them,” Lashlee said before that 2025 meeting.
The Mustangs have done plenty of winning since joining the ACC.
Entering this week’s ranked matchup at Louisville, SMU owns a 15-2 record in ACC play under Lashlee, the best conference mark among league programs over that stretch. The Mustangs also remain unbeaten in ACC games at Ford Stadium during that span.
The 2027 road schedule will provide a different challenge.
Trips to Cal and Boston College create significant travel demands, while games at Virginia, Pitt and Duke add depth to a nine-game league slate that offers little room for an off week.
SMU fans will have to wait for dates and kickoff times. The ACC is expected to release the complete 2027 football schedule in late January.
But the opponents are now set, and one thing is already clear: SMU’s third full season in the ACC won’t lack for marquee games.
