The Southern Methodist University Mustangs defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 33-7 on Saturday to improve to 10-1 on the season and clinch a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Game.
SMU dominated on defense, as the Cavaliers were unable to score any points through the first three quarters. Entering the final 12 minutes of action, SMU had a 20-0 lead.
The Mustangs also put together an all-around offensive attack, posting 323 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Kevin Jennings while running backs Brashard Smith and LJ Johnson Jr. combined for 106 rushing yards and one touchdown.
SMU has put together an incredibly impressive season in its first year in the ACC, sitting alone atop the conference with an overall record of 9-1 and a conference record of 7-0 with just one matchup remaining until the championship game.
The lone loss on SMU’s record came at the hands of BYU, currently ranked as the 14th-best team in the country. If BYU wins the Big 12 Conference Championship, it will also have a path to the College Football Playoffs.
Although it remains unclear who SMU will face off against in the ACC Championship, the winner will likely be either Clemson or Miami, as both teams currently have just one conference loss and a path to the championship game.
Clemson has already played its entire eight-game conference schedule and finished with an overall record of 7-1 in ACC games, meaning Miami can clinch a berth in the ACC Championship Game with a win against Syracuse next week.
With all three of these teams ranked firmly inside the Top 25 for the College Football Playoffs, any potential matchup will likely determine which team will make the first playoffs that features twelve teams.
All three of these teams are hanging just outside the Top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings, meaning an additional loss in the conference championship would likely knock each team out of the playoffs.
The ACC Championship game is currently scheduled for December 7 at 8 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.