SMU finishes second in the 2026 ACC Preseason Media Poll to win the ACC

DALLAS, Texas – The SMU Mustangs were picked second in the ACC Preseason Media Poll to win the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship from the conference's media day kickoff two weeks ago, the ACC announced this afternoon. The results come from a pool of over 180 media members.

SMU received 2,794 points, finishing second behind Miami which finished first as the preseason favorites to win the ACC fresh off being runner-up in the 2026 National Championship. The Mustangs also tallied the third-most first-place votes, with six in the voting process.

Since making the jump to the ACC two seasons ago, SMU has posted a 14-2 record in conference play since joining in 2024, the most conference wins during that span for any team. The Mustangs are still more than 40 days away from kicking off their season, but will end summer workouts this week hosting its annual Break the Rock event on Thursday, July 30 as the program's final workout before the fall season.

The Mustangs finished 6-2 in the ACC last season en route to a 9-4 campaign, which did end with a 24-19 win in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl over No. 17 Arizona that ended a 13-year bowl win drought and delivered a third consecutive season with nine-plus wins.

However, fresh off a conference championship appearance a year prior despite being a five-way tie for second place in the conference, the Mustangs' 38-35 loss to Cal in the final game of the season essentially eliminated them from making it back to the conference championship.

SMU Head Football Coach Rhett Lashlee and his side will get started early in conference play with a Labor Day matchup against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee as the teams' first games of the season before traveling to Louisville just two weeks later after a home opener against UC Davis.

The Mustangs return a plethora of talent heading into the 2026 college football season, including fifth-year senior Kevin Jennings, who has gone 18-6 as the starter with the third most wins in the country among returning quarterbacks.

The Dallas native played through a couple of injuries last season yet still put on an impressive display in the pocket for SMU, including a 26-20 upset win over No. 10 Miami at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in early November. In return, the school has launched a Heisman campaign and has begun work on a recovery center to be named after Jennings heading into his final college football season.

If the Mustangs are to reach their 2024 form in which they finished runner-up in the 2024 conference championship game and appeared in the College Football Playoff, Jennings will undoubtedly play a giant role in it. They also return senior right tackle PJ Williams, who was the lone Mustang named to Athlon Sports College Football 2026 All-America Teams and Phil Steele’s 2026 Preseason All-American Teams. The redshirt senior is also expected to be a standout tackle in the 2027 NFL Draft. While retaining senior wide receiver Yamir Knight, who finished the season with six or more catches and two 100-yard receiving games, including the bowl win over Arizona.

On defense, the Mustangs lost their former defensive coordinator to the Dallas Cowboys just down the tollway, but elevated LB’s coach and co-defensive coordinator Maurice Crum Jr and secondary’s coach Rickey Hunley Jr to co-coordinators, with Crum calling plays. The Mustangs’ lone losses in the conference were by less than a score.

SMU returned captain and senior linebacker Alexander Kilgore and junior linebacker Brandon Booker, who both played in 11+ games for SMU and combined for nearly 130 total tackles. Lashlee’s side has also reloaded key pieces through the portal.

SMU added former Cal running back Kendrick Raphael, who scored to put the Golden Bears ahead of them in their final games of the season to secure the win. Raphael was a top-five rusher in the ACC with the third most touchdowns among the rest of the rushers in the conference.

They also added former Alabama wide receiver and Longview native Jalen Hale, who was among the top wide receivers in his recruiting class and the fifth best prospect in the state of Texas in 2023. Hale caught five passes for over 148 yards during his sophomore season at Alabama, filling the role of either Romello Brinson or Jordan Hudson, who were pivotal for the Mustangs last season in the passing game, among other key additions.

On defense, SMU brought in former USF defensive back Jarvis Lee and UTSA defensive back Marvellus Brans Jr to add to the secondary, among others. While adding former UMASS edge rusher Marquese White and Kansas State defensive linemen Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder after four of the program's leaders in sacks last season declared for the NFL.

With the fall closing in, the Mustangs will hope through a lot of change to continue to be a contender not just in the ACC but also jump back into the national spotlight.

More on SMU Mustangs on SI

• Five Breakout Candidates for SMU Football in 2026

• SMU Ranked a Top 25 Program and a Near Lock to be a Preseason Top 25 Tea

• The Recruiting Message from SMU behind the Kevin Jennings Recovery Center

• SMU's Football Non-Conference Schedule Includes Two Wins and One Toss-U

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