2026 Boston College Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 5: SMU

As opposed to last season, when Boston College football’s longest road trip was to Stanford for a game that started at 10 p.m. on the East Coast — which is admittedly nothing compared to what the Cardinal and California deal with on a far more regular basis — the longest trek of the Eagles’ 2026 campaign will be made in Week Five against SMU.

That is roughly a 1,500-mile difference for those who don’t want to look it up, and the time change is only one hour instead of three, so hurrah to that (for my sake, too).

One could argue that BC tumbled into a major downward spiral after that game last year, as it blew a 17-6 lead that it gained with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter to fall by a final score of 30-20. The loss wrapped up in the early-morning hours of the next day back in Chestnut Hill, and it was quite the meltdown of a performance.

But that is a thing of the past, and flying to Dallas, Texas, is not the same type of ordeal that going out to San Francisco is.

Here is everything you should know about BC’s Week-Six opponent, the Mustangs:

Offense

One of the most formidable offenses in the ACC since it joined the conference, SMU will return starting quarterback Kevin Jennings this season for one final push at a league title, which he already nearly accomplished — in 2024, the Mustangs finished runner-up to Clemson in the ACC title game.

Jennings isn’t just a great college quarterback. He has all the tools to potentially succeed at the next level as well, and he will surely have many eyes on him from NFL scouts as he looks to build on a tremendous legacy he is already established at the school.

I mean, they alread named a dang building after him, which is simply unprecedented.

SMU announced it’s building the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center that will include saunas, massage units and other recovery tools for student athletes.

Pretty unique to see a facility being named for a current athlete. pic.twitter.com/4wKVNlJrUk
— Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) July 15, 2026

In his redshirt-junior year, Jennings threw for 3,641 yards, good for third in the ACC and seventh in FBS, along with 26 touchdowns, also ranked third in the conference and 16th in FBS. He was intercepted 13 times.

One noticeable difference between Jennings’ redshirt-sophomore campaign and last season was his production in the run game, as he dropped from 354 yards and five scores with his feet in 2024 to 55 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. But that shouldn’t really make a difference for the Eagles when it comes to planning on how to defend against him, because his skillset is deep and must be accounted for in a myriad of ways.

In terms of the weapons around Jennings, the losses of wide receivers Jordan Hudson and Romello Brinson to the NFL, in addition to running backs TJ Harden (graduated) and Chris Johnson Jr. (transferred to Clemson), are big ones.

In the passing game, Jennings has a new playmaker in ECU transfer Yannick Smith, who boasts a 6-foot-3, 207-pound frame, and Yamir Knight is expected to make a big leap after winning MVP honors in the 2025 Holiday Bowl with 104 yards on seven catches to finish the season with 637 receiving yards and five scores on 54 receptions.

The Mustangs also snagged Cal running back transfer Kendrick Raphael in the portal after he finished third in the ACC in rushing touchdowns (13) and total touchdowns (14) and fifth in rushing yards (943).

Dramekco Green, who only received 25 carries last year but turned them into 90 yards and a touchdown, could also provide a jolt in that department.

SMU additionally landed a pair of transfer tight ends with previous high-major experience in Theo Melin Öhrström from Texas A&M and Randy Pittman Jr. from Florida State.

Defense

Similar to the offensive side in terms of the receivers and backs units, the Mustangs’ top two leading tacklers in 2025, Ahmaad Moses and Isaiah Nwokobia, are no longer with the program, but there is a decent amount of production that will return, as well as some notable transfer kindling.

The linebacker core is arguably the strongest position group on the team, as veterans Brandon Booker and Alexander Kilgore are back for their junior and senior years, respectively, after tallying over 60 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss apiece. Kilgore additionally manufactured a pair of interceptions last year, while Booker had half a sack and four quarterback hits.

Defensive end Isaiah Smith, who is with the Carolina Panthers now, totaled 18.0 TFLs and 8.5 sacks in 2025, which essentially placed him in a league of his own. While SMU likely won’t see that type of production from a current player in the early stages, they could end up getting that from someone like freshman edge rusher Hudson Woods.

Defensive tackle Kevin Allen has also patiently waited his turn to become a mainstay in the defensive frontline after producing 12 tackles in 12 games last year, and he is expected to garner more meaningful snaps in 2026.

The Mustangs also added former A&M corner Jayvon Thomas, former Clemson linebacker Jamaal Anderson, former UMass EDGE Marques White, former Kansas State defensive lineman Malcom Alcorn-Crowder, and several other players with high-major experience from the transfer portal to restructure the depth chart.

Schedule

SMU will start the season at Florida State (Sept. 7) with a night game in Tallahassee before hosting UC Davis for its home opener on Sept. 12.

It continues conference play with a matchup at Louisville on Sept. 19, and then makes its way back to Dallas for a family-weekend showdown with Missouri State to kick off a four-week homestay, the rest of which includes hosting BC on Oct. 3, UVA on Oct. 17, and Cal on Oct. 24.

The Mustangs then travel to Syracuse on Oct. 31, host Virginia Tech and Wake Forest in back-to-back weeks (Nov. 6 and Nov. 14), head to Notre Dame on Nov. 21, and close out the year as visitors against Stanford on Nov. 28.

Outlook

Simply put, this is a game that BC will need its A game for.

Somewhat fortunately, this isn’t the first time the Eagles have faced Jennings — it’s actually some players third time playing him since 2023, when BC defeated SMU in the Fenway Bowl — so there is some film to look back on and assess what seemed efficient or what they got toasted by and needs cleaning up.

Of BC’s first five games in 2026, this one will likely favor its opponent the most, but it’s very early to fully determine how the Eagles will be come Week Five. Who knows what tricks Bill O’Brien has up his sleeve?

The Game

Date: Oct. 3, 2026

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas

Series history: SMU leads the all-time series 3-1

Last meeting: These two teams last met on Nov. 8, 2025, at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass. The Mustangs defeated the Eagles 45-13.

The Team

Head coach: Rhett Lashlee

Offensive coordinators: Rob Likens, Garin Justice and D’Eriq King

Defensive coordinators: Maurice Crum Jr. and Rickey Hunley Jr.

2025 record: 9-4

Returning starters: 9 (5 on offense, 4 on defense)

Players to watch: QB Kevin Jennings, RB Kendrick Raphael, WR Yamir Knight, WR Yannick Smith, OL Dramodd Odoms, LB Brandon Booker, LB Alexander Kilgore

The School

Location: University Park, Texas (Dallas)

Founded: 1911

Enrollment: 12,100

Nickname: The Mustangs

Colors: red and blue

Mascot: Peruna the pony

The Program

Last time beat BC: 2025

Last time won ACC: Never

National championships: 3 (1935, 1981, 1982)

Conference championships: 12 (1923, 1926, 1931, 1935, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1966, 1981, 1982, 1984 in Southwest Conference; 2023 in American Athletic Conference)

Bowl record: 8-11-1

Heisman winners: Doak Walker (1948)

2026 NFL Draft

TE Matthew Hibner – Baltimore Ravens, 4th Round, No. 133

The Schedule

Sept. 7: at Florida State

Sept. 12: vs. UC Davis

Sept. 19: at Louisville

Sept. 26: vs. Missouri State

Oct. 3: vs. Boston College

Oct. 17: vs. Virginia

Oct. 24: vs. California

Oct. 31: at Syracuse

Nov. 6: vs. Virginia Tech

Nov. 14: vs. Wake Forest

Nov. 21: at Notre Dame

Nov. 28: at Stanford

Early Opponent Preview Series:

This is the fifth story in Boston College Eagles On SI's summer preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Boston College football in 2026. Ensuing stories will be published throughout July and August.

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram for the latest Boston College news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google