HISTORY MADE: SMU clinches ACC Championship berth, set to face Clemson or Miami
The SMU Mustangs punched their ticket to the ACC Championship game in just their first season of play in the league. Rhett Lashlee’s team is the first program to move up from the Group of Five and play in a Power Four conference championship game in its first season.
This year marks the event’s 20th game, with the inaugural contest having taken place in 2005. A prime time showcase for the 15th time in the last 16 years, the milestone game is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, December 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
SMU entered the game against Virginia as the 13th-ranked team in the College Football Playoff rankings. With the win, the Mustangs improved to 10-1 on the season, a second-straight 10-win season for the program. Last year, Lashlee led the Mustangs to an AAC Championship.
The question is now who will the Mustangs face in the game. Clemson and Miami both are in the hunt with the Hurricanes, who are in the Top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings, needing to win their final league game against Syracuse to land in the game. Clemson is done with its ACC slate this season and faces South Carolina next week.
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SMU is the fourteenth different league program to compete in the championship game since its inception in 2005. Last season, No. 4 Florida State defeated No. 14 Louisville 16-6, the Seminoles’ fifth victory in the event (2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2023) and 16th ACC title overall.
Things changed quickly from last season as SMU took the league by storm in the regular season while the Seminoles struggled. The Mustangs also beat Louisville on the road earlier this season, beating the two ACC Championship game participants from last season back-to-back weeks.
Now, SMU will get a chance to punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff in Charlotte. A first round bye is also potentially in the cards, if the Mustangs can get that done.
