STANFORD, Calif. — It was easy to forget SMU was playing for bowl eligibility Saturday against Stanford.
When its head coach Rhett Lashlee and players spoke to the media this week ahead of Saturday’s road trip out West, no one mentioned that SMU was on the brink of its sixth win.
Maybe that was for superstitious reasons, or our forgetfulness to ask.
Or maybe it was because SMU’s sights are set on even bigger goals this year.
No. 21 SMU’s 40-10 win over Stanford secured the Mustangs a game in either December or January. For the sixth consecutive year, SMU is bowl eligible, though its 2020 and 2021 bowl games were canceled due to COVID-19.
Oct. 19 marked the earliest the Mustangs had become bowl eligible since 2021 when they started the year 6-0 and earned their sixth win on Oct. 9. But during that stretch, they faced just one power-conference opponent. This year, they’ve faced five.
“It is a big deal,” Lashlee said postgame. “That’s something you’ve got to check off every year. That’s your hope. If you want to go somewhere, you’ve got to get to that point. To do it the first year in the league is humbling.”
SMU becoming bowl eligible is a significant milestone whether it’s the Mustangs’ ultimate goal or not. The four teams that joined the Big 12 as a part of conference realignment last year all had losing records. Only UCF qualified for a bowl game.
That is the fate SMU’s fellow ACC newcomers may face, as Stanford and Cal have just five combined wins and one in the conference in 14 games played. SMU could end Cal’s season when the two teams meet at Ford Stadium on Nov. 30.
The Mustangs showed Saturday they were miles ahead of a Stanford program that’s been rebuilding for half a decade. It took just 19 seconds for Kevin Jennings to find wide receiver Moochie Dixon for an 87-yard touchdown that gave SMU an early 7-0 lead. Even without the Mustangs’ best performance overall, that lead grew to 30.
While the win was a symbolic one to earn the Mustangs a trip to the postseason, it also kept their larger goals alive. They may not be limited to just one game around the holidays.
The Mustangs are one of four teams that remain undefeated in ACC play, and their road to the conference championship is much more manageable than it appeared when the season began. A spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff is even still on the table.
With those conversations, it feels as if the Mustangs have skipped a few steps. A year ago, they were just glad to be earning a seat at the table. Now they’re vying for the head of it.
But after crossing a first milestone off their list, they can start to focus on those larger goals. Each week they’re closer to becoming a reality.
“I don’t think we’re going to sit around and be satisfied if that’s the end result,” Lashlee said. “I think our guys do know we’ve just put ourselves in a position to play for stuff continually down the stretch.”
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