# 2024 SMU Mustangs football team
The 2024 [SMU Mustangs football](https://www.edgepedia.org/smu-mustangs-football) team represented [Southern Methodist University](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-methodist-university) in the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season, finishing 11-3 overall and 8-0 in [Atlantic Coast Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-coast-conference) (ACC) play in the program's first season in that league.[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) Under third-year head coach Rhett Lashlee, the Mustangs went undefeated in conference play, reached the ACC Championship Game, and earned the No. 11 seed in the first 12-team College Football Playoff, where they lost to Penn State in the first round.[2](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/rhett-lashlee/7076) • [3](https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/aboutsmu/strategicplan/progress-report--2024-2025.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 11-3 overall (.786), 8-0 in ACC play (1.000); 6-1 at home, 5-1 away, 0-1 neutral[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Conference | First season in the ACC after 11 years in the American Athletic Conference; move effective July 1, 2024[4](https://apnews.com/article/57a99419d58ea56b93f342428342f75a) |
| ACC Championship | Lost 34-31 to Clemson in Charlotte on December 7, on a 56-yard field goal as time expired[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e) |
| Playoff | No. 11 seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff; lost the first round 38-10 at No. 6 Penn State on December 21[3](https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/aboutsmu/strategicplan/progress-report--2024-2025.pdf) • [6](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/southern-methodist/2024.html) |
| Final ranking | No. 12 in the final AP poll, the program's highest finish since it was eighth in 1984[7](https://apnews.com/article/a29868f7dca90bb9cceb2bdcbad92055) |
| Coach of the Year | Rhett Lashlee named 2024 ACC Coach of the Year[8](https://theacc.com/news/2024/12/5/football-smus-rhett-lashlee-named-2024-acc-coach-of-the-year.aspx) |
| Scoring margin | Average ACC victory margin of 19.3 points, third highest among Power-4 teams in 2024, behind only Indiana and Oregon[9](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/12/4/football-lashlee-named-acc-coach-of-the-year) |
## Season overview
The season was SMU's first in the ACC, a conference it joined on July 1, 2024 after an 11-year run in the [American Athletic Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-athletic-conference).[4](https://apnews.com/article/57a99419d58ea56b93f342428342f75a) The Mustangs opened with a 29-24 comeback win at Nevada on August 24, then beat Houston Christian 59-7 in their home opener at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) Their only regular-season loss came at home to BYU, 18-15, on September 6.[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024)
**Undefeated conference run.** After the BYU loss, SMU won its remaining ten games of the regular season, including a 66-42 win over TCU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet and conference victories over Florida State, Louisville, Stanford, Duke, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia, and Cal.[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) The 38-6 home win over Cal on November 30 gave the Mustangs back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time in program history.[10](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/12/1/football-mustangs-move-up-in-ap-and-coaches-poll) SMU became just the sixth team in ACC history to go undefeated in conference play since the league adopted an eight-game schedule in 1992.[9](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/12/4/football-lashlee-named-acc-coach-of-the-year)
## ACC Championship Game
SMU met Clemson in the 2024 ACC Football Championship Game in [Charlotte, North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlotte-north-carolina), on December 7.[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) The Mustangs fell behind by three touchdowns before coming back to tie, but lost 34-31 on a 56-yard Clemson field goal as time expired.[5](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e) The loss left SMU at 11-2 entering the playoff selection and sparked national discussion about whether the Mustangs would keep a [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) berth.[5](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e)
## College Football Playoff
When the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was unveiled on December 8, SMU was included and Alabama was left out, giving the ACC two bids; Clemson took the 12th seed with its championship-game win over the Mustangs.[5](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e) SMU earned the No. 11 seed and traveled to No. 6 Penn State for a first-round game on December 21, losing 38-10 at University Park, Pennsylvania.[3](https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/aboutsmu/strategicplan/progress-report--2024-2025.pdf) • [1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) The appearance was SMU's first in the playoff era.[5](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e)
## Rankings and recognition
SMU climbed steadily through the polls during the season. A 48-25 win over [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) on November 2 moved the Mustangs from No. 20 to No. 13 in the AP poll, their highest ranking since they were No. 3 on October 1, 1985.[11](https://apnews.com/article/bbd722c4c3176337de7b6f17c03540ea) They reached No. 9 in late November, their first top-10 ranking since 1985, and were No. 7 in the AP poll after the Cal win, the program's highest since 1985.[12](https://apnews.com/article/265b814654284e61cc3738fbc591f19c) • [10](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/12/1/football-mustangs-move-up-in-ap-and-coaches-poll) In the inaugural 2024 College Football Playoff Selection Committee rankings, SMU debuted at No. 13, the highest the team had ever been ranked in that poll.[13](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/11/5/football-mustangs-debut-at-no-14-in-cfp-selection-committee-rankings.aspx)
In the final AP poll, SMU stayed at No. 12, ahead of No. 14 Clemson despite the championship-game loss, and the ranking was the program's highest since it was eighth in 1984.[7](https://apnews.com/article/a29868f7dca90bb9cceb2bdcbad92055) Lashlee was named ACC Coach of the Year on December 5, and was also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award.[8](https://theacc.com/news/2024/12/5/football-smus-rhett-lashlee-named-2024-acc-coach-of-the-year.aspx) • [14](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/acc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2025/8/16/2025_ACC_Football_Information_Guide.pdf)
## Schedule and results
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 | at Nevada | Reno, Nev. | W, 29-24[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Aug 31 | vs HCU | Dallas, Texas | W, 59-7[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Sep 6 | vs BYU | Dallas, Texas | L, 15-18[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Sep 21 | vs TCU | Dallas, Texas | W, 66-42[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Sep 28 | vs Florida State | Dallas, Texas | W, 42-16[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Oct 5 | at No. 22 Louisville | Louisville, Ky. | W, 34-27[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Oct 19 | at Stanford | Stanford, Calif. | W, 40-10[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Oct 26 | at Duke | Durham, N.C. | W, 28-27 OT[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Nov 2 | vs No. 18 Pittsburgh | Dallas, Texas | W, 48-25[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Nov 16 | vs Boston College | Dallas, Texas | W, 38-28[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Nov 23 | at Virginia | Charlottesville, Va. | W, 33-7[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Nov 30 | vs Cal | Dallas, Texas | W, 38-6[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Dec 7 | vs Clemson (ACC Championship, Charlotte, NC) | Charlotte, NC | L, 31-34[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
| Dec 21 | at No. 6 Penn State (CFP First Round) | University Park, PA | L, 10-38[1](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024) |
## References
1. [2024 Football Schedule, SMU Athletics](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/schedule/2024)
2. [Rhett Lashlee - Football Coach, SMU Athletics](https://smumustangs.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/rhett-lashlee/7076)
3. [2024-2025 Annual Progress Report on the SMU Strategic Plan](https://www.smu.edu/-/media/site/aboutsmu/strategicplan/progress-report--2024-2025.pdf)
4. [SMU celebrates entrance into ACC, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/57a99419d58ea56b93f342428342f75a)
5. [College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e)
6. [2024 SMU Mustangs Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/southern-methodist/2024.html)
7. [AP Top 25: Ohio St, Notre Dame are 1-2 in final poll, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a29868f7dca90bb9cceb2bdcbad92055)
8. [SMU's Rhett Lashlee Named 2024 ACC Coach of the Year, theACC.com](https://theacc.com/news/2024/12/5/football-smus-rhett-lashlee-named-2024-acc-coach-of-the-year.aspx)
9. [Lashlee Named ACC Coach Of The Year, SMU Athletics](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/12/4/football-lashlee-named-acc-coach-of-the-year)
10. [Mustangs Move Up In AP And Coaches Poll, SMU Athletics](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/12/1/football-mustangs-move-up-in-ap-and-coaches-poll)
11. [AP Top 25: Oregon a unanimous No. 1 ahead of 1st CFP rankings, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/bbd722c4c3176337de7b6f17c03540ea)
12. [AP Top 25: Alabama, Mississippi out of top 10 and Miami, SMU are in, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/265b814654284e61cc3738fbc591f19c)
13. [Mustangs Debut At No. 13 In CFP Selection Committee Rankings, SMU Athletics](https://smumustangs.com/news/2024/11/5/football-mustangs-debut-at-no-14-in-cfp-selection-committee-rankings.aspx)
14. [2025 ACC Football Information Guide, 2024 Season in Review](https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/acc.sidearmsports.com/documents/2025/8/16/2025_ACC_Football_Information_Guide.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license