The SMU Mustangs football team had an eventful weekend as it clinched a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship game and officially moved into the Top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Mustangs defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 33-7 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game.
Winning in Week 13, along with multiple teams within the Top 10 losing, vaulted SMU into the top of the rankings for the first time this season, with the college football playoff committee ranking the Mustangs as the 9th-best team in the country.
Moving into the Top 10 of these rankings is incredibly important as the Mustangs now have a chance to claim a spot without a conference championship; however, winning the championship game would guarantee them a place in the playoffs.
Although the official College Football Playoff rankings did not start being released until Week 11, the Mustangs have been within the Top 25 of the Associated Press Rankings since the beginning of Week 7.
SMU has put together an impressive year during its first season as a member of the ACC, currently sitting atop the conference with an overall record of 10-1 and a conference record of 7-0.
SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee said after the team’s win on Saturday that it is “hard to win 10 games” and even harder to “do something that’s never been done before,” voicing his excitement over how well the team has performed this year.
“No one’s ever moved from a small conference to a power conference and gone to the championship game in their first year. Just really proud of our guys,” he added, according to ESPN.
SMU will now prepare for its final conference matchup of the season on Saturday against the California Golden Bears at 2:30 p.m., according to Sports Illustrated. The Mustangs are currently favored by 11.5 points.
The Mustangs will then play either Miami or Clemson in the ACC Championship game on Saturday, December 7, at 7 p.m. in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Miami can clinch an appearance in the championship game with a Week 14 win against Syracuse, but a loss by the Hurricanes would punch Clemson’s ticket to the final conference game of the season.