SMU Football Preview 2025: Mustangs Season Prediction, Win Total Projection, Top Players
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 SMU PreviewSMU Offense BreakdownSMU Defense Breakdown
SMU Mustangs Key to the Season
Chill on the mistakes.For a team that was so sharp in so many ways, and so efficient, getting hit with eight penalties for 77.7 yards per game are far too many. And then there are the turnovers - no one in the ACC gave it away more often.SMU survived the six giveaway fest in the overtime win over Duke, but turned it over eight times in the three losses.
SMU Mustangs Key Player
Jordan Hudson, WR Sr.SMU's passing game gets the ball to everyone, and the tight ends are terrific, so there's no real worry about the passing game. The receiving corps is a tad bit questionable, though, with a few good freshmen and untested veterans needing to shine. The Mustangs need a No. 1 guy, and it would be a big help if it's Hudson.
SMU Mustangs Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Addison Nichols, OG Jr.There might be a few more talented, flashier transfers coming in, but Nichols might be the most important. If this works, the junior guard from Arkansas will help stabilize the interior for the next two years.Top Transfer Out: Preston Stone, QB Sr.Kevin Jennings is the star now, and Tyler Van Dyke is a Power Four-starting veteran as the backup, but Stone really was great, throwing 33 touchdown passes and seven picks in his year-and-a-half as the main man running the attack. Now he's at Northwestern.
SMU Mustangs Key Game
at Clemson, Oct. 18The rematch of the ACC Championship might be everything for the Mustangs. If they're good enough to pull this off, they're good enough to push through the finishing kick, including the home date against Miami.Or, if they win this, they have wiggle room to drop an ACC game and still be in the mix for a return trip to the title game.- 2025 SMU Schedule Breakdown
SMU Mustangs Top 10 Players
1. Isaiah Nwokobia, S Sr.2. Kevin Jennings, QB Jr.3. PJ Williams, OT Jr.4. Logan Parr, OG Sr.5. Ahmaad Moses, S Sr.6. Terry Webb, DT Sr.7. Alexander Kilgore, LB Jr.8. Jeffrey M'ba, DT Sr.9. RJ Maryland, TE Sr.10. Zakye Barker, LB Sr.Collin Rogers, PK Sr.
SMU Mustangs 2024 Fun Stats
- Sacks: SMU 43 for 301 yards, Opponents 18 for 116 yards- Penalty Yards Per Game: SMU 77.7, Opponents 58.4- 4th Quarter Scoring: SMU 141, Opponents 66
SMU Mustangs 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
Last year's schedule wasn't easy, and SMU rolled through the ACC regular season unbeaten. It beat Duke and Louisville on the road, caught a break that Florida State was awful, and didn't have to deal with Miami. This year, Miami is on the slate, the Clemson game is in Death Valley, and Baylor, at TCU, Syracuse, at Boston College, Louisville, and at Cal are all landmines.SMU will be good enough to win most of the tough games - especially if it catches fire like last year - and there's no Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and, yeah, this matters, Duke.
No, it won't be an 11-win season like the last two years, and there won't be a return trip to the ACC Championship. But that doesn't mean a ten-win season is off the table.Set The SMU Win Total At … 8.5Likely Wins: East Texas A&M, at Missouri State, Stanford50/50 Games: Baylor, at Boston College, at Cal, Louisville, Miami, Syracuse, at TCU, at Wake ForestLikely Losses: at Clemson 2025 SMU PreviewSMU Offense BreakdownSMU Defense Breakdown
© 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
If SEC wants more College Football Playoff respect, it's time to dump cupcake games
The SEC keeps finding new reasons to not add a ninth conference game to its football schedule. Throughout the four-team College Football Playoff era, the SEC ruled that postseason format, so it found insufficient incentive to add another conference game. Advertisement When the scheduling debate resurfaced two years ago, some SEC members expressed reluctance to add another conference game without additional compensation from its media partner. ESPN didn't sweeten the pot. The SEC stayed at eight. The latest excuse? Many SEC coaches feel loath to welcome a ninth conference game without first knowing the College Football Playoff format for 2026 and beyond. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) runs with the ball against Texas during the second half in the 2024 SEC championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. What's next, no ninth SEC game until there's peace in the Middle East? I'm losing my appetite for this eight-or-nine debate. The number should be 10 – as in, every power-conference team should play a minimum of 10 games against Power Four opponents. Advertisement MAN WITH PLAN: Lane Kiffin pushes promising 16-team playoff model BIG DECISION: SEC's Greg Sankey can be hero or villain in playoff debate SEC craves more CFP respect while playing cupcake games The SEC routinely insists it should gain preference from the playoff selection committee because of its run of national championship dominance the past 20 years, plus its strength of schedule. I won't argue that the SEC often boasts the strongest top-to-bottom conference. The SEC's pandering to the playoff committee, though, plays weak considering how the conference structures its schedule. Teams only play half the other members of their 16-team conference, and most only play one Power Four non-conference opponent, while supplementing the schedule with a few layup games. Advertisement In this era of the ever-expanding playoff, it is time for the SEC to curtail its feast of cupcake games. Either stay at eight conference games, or go to nine – so long as it adds up to 10 games against real competition. Power Four teams playing more games against legitimate opponents – and fewer games against directional schools – would provide clarity to the playoff's at-large selection process. Alabama, Florida and South Carolina will play 10 regular-season games against Power Four opponents. The SEC's other teams will play eight or nine games against power foes. By comparison, TCU and Baylor will play a nation-leading 11 games against Power Four competition. Advertisement Let's not spare the ACC, either. The ACC joins the SEC in playing eight conference games, while their Big Ten and Big 12 peers play nine. Most ACC schools, at least, will play 10 games against power-conference opponents, if you include Notre Dame as a power foe. Alternative to a ninth SEC game? Play another Power Four school Prominent SEC voices continue to trumpet that the committee erred by rejecting three 9-3 teams from the inaugural 12-team playoff, and that the committee does not sufficiently reward the SEC's schedule. 'I have a hard time seeing Ole Miss, Alabama, and South Carolina not being in the best teams last year,' Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, in reference to 9-3 teams that didn't make the playoff. Advertisement I maintain the committee flubbed by selecting two-loss SMU, which beat nobody of substance and lost its two games against Top 25 opponents. Mississippi, which smashed Georgia after suffering a résumé-staining loss to Kentucky, would have been a better choice. And yet, the SEC's three-loss also-rans could have tempted the committee more if they'd played and won another conference game or at least played and won an additional game against a Power Four opponent, instead of creaming a Championship Subdivision school. We don't know how the committee would view a 9-3 SEC team that played 10 games against Power Four competition. We do know what the committee thought of the SEC's 9-3 teams that played only nine games against power-conference foes. They thought them undeserving of a playoff bid. Advertisement If Florida, which plays Miami and Florida State, goes 9-3 this season, it likely would have a stronger case for an at-large bid than the SEC's three-loss teams last season. The same is true of South Carolina, which plays Virginia Tech and Clemson for 10 Power Four games. Alabama's games against Wisconsin and Florida State give the Tide 10 games at the big-boy table, too. Those teams stand in exception to the SEC's majority that choose a path of lesser non-conference resistance. The SEC keeps floating the myth that the playoff committee does not respect strength of schedule. That's untrue. Indiana won 11 games last season, but the Hoosiers' soft schedule meant Indiana ranked behind four other at-large playoff qualifiers that won fewer games. Also, the SEC's three-loss teams reached the playoff's doorstep largely because of their strength of schedule. Another marquee victory could help get a three-loss team across the playoff's threshold. Advertisement I can understand the SEC's reluctance to add a ninth conference game. Another league game would guarantee another loss to half the conference. Those additional losses would hinder playoff pursuits across half the league. The alternative to a ninth SEC game, though, should not be a game against Weasel Tech or Seventh-Grade State. Schedule another opponent from the big leagues. Non-conference scheduling includes the hurdle of needing two to tango. Not every power-conference team wants to play an SEC foe. Nebraska ducked out of its series with Tennessee. Wake Forest canceled on Ole Miss. Still, the SEC cannot relent. SEC coaches would be wise to keep the pedal down on this blue-sky idea of a Big Ten-SEC challenge. Advertisement The SEC insists it wields the nation's strongest conference and that the committee should honor it as such. That argument holds merit, but the case would become easier to prove if SEC teams scheduled fewer games against Coastal Cupcake and more games against power-conference peers. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SEC wants College Football Playoff respect? Stop playing cupcakes
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
Chiefs 2026 NFL draft summer scouting: ACC offensive linemen
Chiefs 2026 NFL draft summer scouting: ACC offensive linemen SMU OT PJ Williams is an underrated 2026 Draft Prospect. Easy R3 grade for me + 6'5/317 with a 7'0' wingspan + Top-70 Recruit (#8 OT) in 2022 + Averaged 13 and 7 in HS🏀 + Just 21 y/o on Draft Day + 450+ Snaps at LT and RT + Relentless hand fighter + Athletic mover in space — Clay Fink (@clay_fink) May 7, 2025 In the past two NFL drafts, the Kansas City Chiefs invested significant resources into their offensive line. General manager Brett Veach may use more picks on linemen in 2026 if the team fails to find a long-term solution at left guard or parts ways with Jawaan Taylor to save money. Fortunately, the upcoming class features a deep pool of offensive linemen in the ACC. The Clemson Tigers boast a trio of prospects, including right tackle Blake Miller, left tackle Tristan Leigh and guard Collin Sadler. Miller needs to add functional mass but uses his foot speed and range to provide a consistent wall in pass protection. Leigh checks all the size boxes for an offensive tackle, offering good length and a sturdy anchor. Unfortunately, he suffers from balance concerns that lead to quick pressures for the defense. The Pittsburgh Panthers have two guard prospects. BJ Williams is a long-limbed right guard with nice flexibility and a stout anchor. His teammate, right tackle Ryan Baer, is even more impressive. Baer will kick inside to guard in the NFL. His heavy hands channel excellent power, and his core and leg strength uproot and displace defenders in the run game. SMU Mustangs right tackle PJ Williams and left guard Logan Parr are excellent pass protectors. Williams needs to refine his strike timing and hand placement, but he's a superb athlete with great agility and impressive movement skills in the run game. While rough around the edges, Williams' traits make him worth a top 40 selection. Boston College left tackle Jude Bowry and Miami Hurricanes right tackle Francis Mauigoa both enter 2025 with first round aspirations. Bowry struggled late in 2024 after an excellent first half of the year. Mauigoa is an impressive mover with nice power but might kick inside to guard because of some physical limitations. The ACC's top remaining offensive linemen include guards McKale Boley and Keylan Rutledge and right tackle Fa'alili Fa'amoe. All three project as NFL guards. Boley is an explosive and natural athlete with shades of Marcus Mbow in his play, while Rutledge is less athletic but more powerful, especially in the run game.
New York Times
9 hours ago
- New York Times
From Bill Belichick to Miller Moss: 10 moves that shaped the ACC football offseason
The Atlantic Coast Conference is finally at peace. The league and two of its most prominent members, Clemson and Florida State, have finally resolved their legal battles. Barring any surprising developments, the conference will look the same until the next major wave of media rights deals begins (around 2030). Advertisement That's comforting news for ACC fans, who saw two teams from the league (Clemson and SMU) earn a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024. How many ACC teams will make the next one? That's anyone's guess. Here's a look at 10 offseason moves that could help determine what happens this fall. Dabo Swinney was the most decorated coach in the ACC until North Carolina hired the six-time Super Bowl winner to replace Mack Brown, who was let go after a 6-7 season. Although most of the attention Belichick has received early on at UNC has revolved around his 24-year-old girlfriend, the Tar Heels have been busy flipping the roster with close to 40 transfer additions and more than 50 departures. It will be fascinating to see what Belichick and his staff can do with a roster that lacks top-end talent. UNC's over/under for wins is 7.5 according to BetMGM. The Tigers made the College Football Playoff in 2024, but changes still needed to be made. They gave up 292 yards rushing in the CFP loss to Texas and, for the season, ranked 16th in the ACC in rushing defense (160.6 ypg). Swinney fired defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin in January and hired Allen away from Penn State a week later. Clemson DC Tom Allen gets choked up talking about the sacrifices his wife and kids had to make as he pursued his coaching career. 'We're really close.' Says pulling his kids out of school was taxing on everyone. 'One time my daughter just wouldn't get out of the car' — Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) January 15, 2025 Allen said he left State College in part to be closer to his two daughters in the Carolinas, but the $400,000 salary bump surely didn't hurt. Penn State ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense in 2024. Allen has plenty of quality talent to work with at Clemson, including three returning starters in the secondary, two of the team's top three leading tacklers at linebacker and three players on the defensive line who started at least 10 games last season. Advertisement It's been another good offseason for Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes landed their replacement for Cam Ward at quarterback in Carson Beck from Georgia. They also upgraded the secondary, most notably with the arrival of cornerback Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin) and safety Zechariah Poyser (Jacksonville State). These additions will aid new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman (Minnesota) in his quest to get the Canes right on that side of the ball. Malzahn made the unorthodox move of leaving a job as a Power 4 head coach to become an offensive coordinator at another P4 school in the same state, one that went 2-10 in 2024 after going 13-1 the previous season. But Malzahn, who turns 60 in October, decided he just wanted to get back to coaching offense after completing his fourth season in Orlando with a 4-8 record. The Seminoles could use all the help they can get on offense after ranking 131st in scoring (15.3 ppg) and 132nd in yards per play (4.4) in 2024. Boston College quarterback transfer Thomas Castellanos, originally a UCF signee for Malzahn, will try to lead the turnaround. Veteran receivers Duce Robinson (USC) and Squirrel White (Tennessee) are among 23 transfers in Mike Norvell's portal class. Maalik Murphy threw for 2,933 yards and set a school record with 26 touchdown passes, but he entered the transfer portal following the regular season. The Blue Devils pivoted to Mensah, who signed an NIL deal worth $4 million per season, according to CBS. Mensah, who ranked No. 3 in The Athletic's winter portal QB rankings, started 13 games at Tulane last season and threw for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. .@EJManuel3 breaks down the impact QB Darian Mensah will have on @DukeFOOTBALL 😈🏈 — ACC Network (@accnetwork) May 3, 2025 Duke lost the left side of its offensive line and its top two receivers to graduation and leading rusher Star Thomas (Tennessee) to the transfer portal. But coach Manny Diaz picked up a couple of former quality FCS starters in receiver Cooper Barkate (Harvard) and offensive guard Jordan Larsen (South Dakota) to fortify the roster. Advertisement Some people may have forgotten, but Stanford was a nationally relevant program not long ago. Luck helped start that run, quarterbacking Stanford to final rankings of No. 4 and No. 7 in 2010 and 2011, respectively, before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft. Now, the 35-year-old is back in Palo Alto as Stanford's general manager, hoping to breathe life back into a program that has won only three games in four consecutive seasons. Luck hired his old coach with the Colts, Frank Reich, in March to serve as an interim head coach following Troy Taylor's firing. Reich won't have to worry about NIL and roster building. Luck is handling all of that. He has his hands full. Stanford lost 27 players to the portal, including veteran edge rusher David Bailey (Texas Tech) and talented young receiver Emmett Mosley V (Texas) this spring. Stanford reeled in seven transfers who started at least eight games in 2024, but only one — offensive lineman Niki Prongos (UCLA) — played at the FBS level last season. The Bears' ACC debut included early-season losses to Florida State, Miami, Pitt and NC State by a combined nine points. The offseason has been just as painful. Not only did quarterback Fernando Mendoza leave for Indiana, but the Bears lost five of their top six receivers — including tight end Jack Endries (Texas) and standout freshman Nyziah Hunter (Nebraska) — and their top four running backs. Jaydn Ott's departure to Oklahoma garnered the most headlines, but Jaivian Thomas (UCLA) was actually Cal's leading rusher in 2024. O-T-T-T-O-G-OWe've got Jaydn Ott to go!#Calgorithm #FightForCalGameday #H1M #WhyNotCal — Callie Wake (@wokemobfootball) September 28, 2024 New offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, the former Auburn and Boise State head coach, will need to incorporate a bunch of post-spring arrivals into his system during preseason camp. Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is hold onto your own players. Georgia Tech lost arguably its most explosive receiver to the portal in Eric Singleton Jr. (Auburn) and appeared to be on the verge of losing its leader in receptions in Malik Rutherford. But after two days of exploring his options, Rutherford (62 catches, 702 yards) decided to return for his senior season. Before Rutherford decided to come back, the Yellow Jackets managed to nab one of the best available receivers in the portal in Eric Rivers, who hauled in 62 passes for 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns last season at FIU. With Haynes King back at quarterback and Jamal Haynes returning in the backfield, Georgia Tech has a chance to contend in the ACC. It navigated some rough waters and found quality replacements for key players. Advertisement It was only four years ago that Dave Clawson had the Demon Deacons playing for the ACC championship. Dickert, 41, is attempting to turn Wake (4-8 each of the last two seasons) around by overhauling the roster, with a heavy dose of his former players at Washington State and transfers from the FCS ranks. Dickert has signed 35 transfers since taking over, including 18 who started at least six games last season. Among the additions are nine former Cougars, headlined by right tackle Fa'alili Fa'amoe. Tyler Shough made the most of his one-and-done opportunity under Jeff Brohm last season, finishing 14th nationally in passing yards per game (266.3) before becoming the third quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft (No. 40 by New Orleans). Moss, a fifth-year senior, started nine games at USC last season after waiting his turn behind No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. He has half the career starts (10) Shough had when he arrived at Louisville last year. But Brohm has done a phenomenal job with veteran quarterbacks in recent years, first with Jack Plummer — a third-team All-ACC pick in 2023 — and then Shough last season. (Photo of Miller Moss: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
