The SMU football program enters the 2023 season and a new age for the American Athletic Conference with high expectations as a true conference championship contender after the departures of Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
The Mustangs have competed for the conference title with those three schools over recent seasons but have not won a conference championship since 1984.
“I’m really excited about what it’s going to take to try to win this league this year because it’s going to be as big a challenge — if not better — than it’s ever been,” head coach Rhett Lashlee said as he addressed the media at the AAC’s annual media days.
“I’m really excited about our team,” he added. “Just the roster that our staff has put together from returning players to high school kids and transfers and all in between. We’ve got a good group and [it’s] been fun to watch them just work together in the spring and summer.”
SMU was picked to finish third in the conference behind defending champion Tulane and defending Conference USA champion Texas-San Antonio, one of six former Conference USA schools that joined the AAC on July 1.
“I think we’ve been picked third, fourth, or fifth the last few years,” Lashlee told The Dallas Express. “I think that’s a good thing that there’s expectations on our program. I think it shows we’ve consistently gone for [the championship] the last four or five years, but we’ve not won a championship.”
Although last season’s 7-6 overall record was a step back compared to recent seasons, SMU went 5-2 down the stretch (3-1 in November) to finish in a tie for fourth place in the conference with Houston with a 5-3 record in conference play.
“It was a big deal to us, so hopefully, we can build on that,” Lashlee told the media. “We got some really hungry returning players like the guys I brought here…They’ve done a lot for our program, and I think they’re really excited about what this team can do in Year Two to try to take what we did last year and build on [it] now that we’re all in contention to start the season. We feel like we put ourselves in the conversation to compete for a championship.”
One of the primary issues holding the Mustangs back has been the defense, which once again finished among the worst in the country in yards allowed and scoring defense last season.
“With [defensive coordinator] Scott Symons in Year Two, the returning nucleus of guys like [defensive tackles] Elijah Chapman and DeVere Levelston who are here today, a lot of the guys we brought in both high school and transfers, we feel like we’ve transformed the roster on defense in a good way,” Lashlee told The Dallas Express. “… I’m excited to see our defense take a step we haven’t taken in a long time, which may give us a chance to compete for the championship.”
If it all comes together, 2023 could be the most exciting season for SMU and its fanbase in quite some time.
“We’re excited that we feel like we have a team that can compete for the championship, but we know it’s going to take an uncommon effort [and] an uncommon focus, and we’re excited about the opportunity to do that,” Lashlee concluded.
The Mustangs will kick off their season at home against Louisiana Tech at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, September 2.