The Southern Methodist University football team will take on Boston College today at 2:30 p.m. as the Mustangs continue their quest for a coveted spot in the College Football Playoffs.
SMU enters this game sitting atop the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) standings and as the 14th-ranked team in the country with an overall record of 8-1 and a 5-0 record in conference play.
This matchup will be the Mustangs’ final home regular-season game in a stadium where the team has been dominant over the past few seasons.
SMU has a record of 28-5 since 2019 and has scored an average of 50.4 points per game in its last 13 appearances, per an SMU news release.
Boston College enters this game with a record of 5-4 while sitting in 12th place in the ACC, though SMU walked away with a 23-14 loss in the last matchup between these two teams in the 2023 Fenway Bowl.
Despite the loss against the Eagles coming less than one calendar year ago, SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee said both teams have grown, and that game will not impact the game plan or outcome.
“They’ve got a new team. I think they’re better this year. We have a new team. I think we’re better this year. They’ve got a brand new coach. … Obviously we didn’t like the outcome of that game, they beat us. But it’s not going to have any bearing on Saturday,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
SMU is looking to continue an impressive run through the first nine games of the 2024 season, which has included a climb into the top 15 rankings and the potential to make the playoffs at the end of the regular season.
The Mustangs will likely have to finish the regular season 3-0 to jump into the top 12 of the College Football Playoff rankings, putting more pressure on the team to come out on top with each additional victory.
Lashlee said the Mustangs have put together a “good resume,” and they “belong in the conversation” if their winning continues to finish the regular season.
“I’m not going to worry as much about us in that right now because we’ve got to take care of business. If we don’t win, nothing matters,” Lashlee added, per The AP. “If we don’t win the next three games, then we don’t really have an argument. But if we do, then I think we’ve earned the right to have an argument.”
Finishing the season with three straight wins would guarantee the Mustangs an appearance in the ACC championship game, with the possibility of matching up against multiple other teams in the conference.
Winning a potential conference championship would also guarantee the Mustangs a spot in the College Football Playoffs; however, there is no indication of how highly SMU would be ranked in this outcome.