The SMU Mustangs have secured a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Game, which will be played on December 7 at 7 p.m. against the Clemson Tigers.
SMU capped off an exciting regular season with a 38-6 win over Cal on Saturday. The game did not impact conference seeding but played a role in the Mustangs’ overall ranking for the College Football Playoffs.
SMU has put together a stellar season with an overall record of 11-1 and a conference record of 8-0, making them the only team in the ACC to finish the regular season without a conference loss.
The singular loss suffered by the Mustangs came early in the season against BYU, who also stayed within the Top 25 for nearly the entire season and was expected to make the playoffs for a large portion of the year.
SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee said last week that the team has accomplished “something that’s never been done before” during its transition to the ACC, noting that it is “hard to win 10 games” in any conference.
“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 said, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The Mustangs will face Clemson in the championship game for the first time in program history, which is no surprise given that SMU joined the ACC for the first time this season.
This matchup will have significant consequences for each team as they look to claim a spot in the first-ever expanded College Football Playoffs format that features 12 teams from across the country.
Although SMU entered the final regular season week ranked as the ninth-best team in the country, another loss without a guaranteed bid could move the Mustangs outside of the playoff field.
Clemson will also be fighting for a playoff spot. The Tigers will only make the playoffs with a guaranteed conference bid due to their loss in Week 14 against South Carolina.
The Tigers will enter this matchup against SMU with an overall record of 9-3 and a conference record of 7-1, making the conference championship game after Miami lost to Syracuse on Saturday.
Although many Dallas residents will be unable to attend the ACC Championship Game because it is being played in Charlotte, North Carolina, those who wish to tune into the matchup will be able to watch it on ABC or stream it on ESPN.