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SMU will play for a second consecutive conference championship.
A year ago, the Mustangs rolled through an unbeaten season in the American Athletic Conference to capture the school’s first conference title in nearly 40 years. On Saturday, SMU shut down Virginia 33-7 to improve to 10-1 and officially clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game in its first season in the league.
The Mustangs will face either Miami or Clemson in the title game, which is scheduled for Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina, at Bank of America Stadium.
SMU was picked to finish seventh in the preseason ACC media poll. At ESPN Bet in August, it was +1200 to win the ACC and +900 to make the College Football Playoff.
Instead, the Mustangs are now 7-0 against their new league counterparts. They have won 5 of their 7 league games by double-digits.
The year got off to a bumpy start. SMU needed to rally in the fourth quarter to beat Nevada in the opener. It then lost to BYU 18-15 at home on Sept. 6.
Saturday’s win was SMU’s eighth consecutive victory. Kevin Jennings replaced Preston Stone as the starting quarterback early in the year and has grown into the role.
Against Virginia, Jennings completed 25 of his 33 passes for 323 yards and 2 touchdowns with an interception. It was his third 300-yard passing day in his last 5 appearances.
The Mustangs outgained Virginia 434-173. They gave up just 65 rushing yards and finished the day with 9 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
SMU extended head coach Rhett Lashlee on Friday and there was no hangover.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
