SMU inaugural ACC opponents revealed

The SMU Mustangs are in the hunt for their first-ever AAC title. They sport a 4-0 record in league play, blowing by conference opponents by an average margin of victory of 38.3 points per game. While SMU’s near-term goal is to capture that coveted AAC championship on its way out of the AAC, the Mustangs are now also given the opportunity to look toward their future.

SMU officially transitions to the ACC for the 2024 football season. On Monday, the Mustangs’ eight conference opponents for next year were officially revealed. Additionally, barring additional realignment — which is certainly a possibility in the current college football landscape — SMU got a sneak peak at its ACC opponents through the 2030 season.

The ACC announced a series of protected rivalries in its 7-year schedule model, and SMU was assigned two annual rivals for foreseeable future. The Mustangs will play fellow ACC newcomers Stanford and California on an annual basis. SMU’s rivalry history with Stanford dates back to the 1935 season when the Cardinal defeated the Mustangs 7-0 in the 22nd-ever Rose Bowl. Meanwhile, SMU’s rivalry history with Cal dates back to 1957 when the Mustangs fended off the Golden Bears in a 13-6 result in Berkeley, CA. Those are the only games SMU ever played against its new protected rivals.

In 2024, SMU will play host to Boston College, Cal, Florida State, and Pitt at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. The Mustangs will take the road for matchups against Duke, Louisville, Stanford, and Virginia. In non-conference play, SMU also hosts Big 12 opponents TCU and BYU, as well as Houston Christian from the FCS, and it takes a trip to Nashville to battle Vanderbilt on the road.

Excluding newfound rivals Cal and Stanford, SMU’s opponents rotate each year as the 17-team ACC will be a division-less conference. Each ACC road game involves quite the trip for the Mustangs. The closest geographic opponent is Georgia Tech, which is roughly a 12-hour drive spanning 800 miles.

Here are SMU’s ACC opponents for the next seven years, from 2024 through 2030: