SMU Football Ranked in the Top 20 in Preseason Coaches Poll

After finishing the 2025 season on the cusp of the USA LBM Coaches Poll, SMU is starting the 2026 season ranked 20th in the nation.

The USA LBM Preseason Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday, August 4 by USA TODAY. SMU came in at 20th with 378 total votes, the second-most in the ACC behind Miami, the conference’s consensus favorite.

The list is voted on by a committee of randomly selected head coaches at FBS programs. The 2026 committee includes SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee, as well as notable figures like Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Sonny Dykes at TCU, and James Franklin at Virginia Tech.

Last season, the Mustangs entered 2025 ranked 16th in the preseason poll, even after berths to the ACC Championship and the College Football Playoffs. The voting coaches obviously think highly of SMU’s returning roster, ranking SMU after a 9-4 showing last year.

When compared to the ACC, SMU trails just seventh-place Miami. Clemson is the only other ACC team in the top-25, but Louisville came in right on the fringe with 153 votes, five less than No. 25 Mizzou. Other ACC squads receiving votes were Virginia (40), Georgia Tech (26), NC State (13), Florida State (13), Virginia Tech (12), Duke (6), Pittsburgh (4) and Cal (1).

Improbably, SMU only has to face five of the 12 ACC teams receiving a preseason vote: Louisville, Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Cal. They do, however, go to South Bend on November 21 to take on the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

BREAKING: College Football Preseason Coaches Poll👀https://t.co/gnEe967fmH pic.twitter.com/W2xBYGZWYe
— On3 (@On3) August 4, 2026

But going back to the Mustangs, is the 20th a fair ranking to start the season?

Obviously, no one expected SMU to begin the season ranked in the top five, or even the top 10 for that matter. After that, I think it’s worth assessing SMU in relation to the rest of the preseason rankings.

11th and 12th on the list are 2025 playoff teams Alabama and Texas Tech. Although the Red Raiders may be hurt by the loss of transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, a high ranking for both teams feels adequate. LSU, at 13th, is the seventh SEC team to pop up in the rankings. The Tigers went a lackluster 7-6 in 2025 but are, of course, bringing in Lane Kiffin as head coach and Sam Leavitt at quarterback, which should inspire greater optimism in the Tigers.

USC, another 9-4 team from 2025, is ranked 14th, as is Big 12 runner-up BYU. Both teams feel deserving of a top-25 spot.

The four teams ranked above SMU are cause for greater questioning. Michigan and Washington were both 9-4 in 2025, no different than the Mustangs. However, the Wolverines were 0-4 against ranked teams last season and, during Big Ten play, barely squeaked out wins against Nebraska, Northwestern, and Purdue, all teams with losing records. They do have Kyle Whittingham at the helm now but will need much better play from returning sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood to remain a ranked team.

Washington went just 5-4 in the Big Ten, their best win coming against 9-4 Illinois. The Huskies were a great running team but lost both of their top backs and top wide receiver to the draft or the portal. Penn State is also ahead of SMU, despite a 3-6 showing in conference play last year. The Nittany Lions will be much improved ahead of 2026 but will need to find a way to prove it despite not playing in-conference top dogs such as Indiana, Ohio State, or Oregon.

Finally, Tennessee is within the 19 teams ranked ahead of SMU. Many expect the Volunteers, who finished in the middle of the SEC in 2024, to trot out true freshman Faizon Brandon at quarterback. Though Tennessee has the potential to be good in 2026, putting a team likely to finish no higher than sixth in its conference ahead of SMU, an ACC title contender, feels ridiculous.

At the same time, is SMU being overhyped? After all, the Mustangs lost key defensive pieces and suffered embarrassing in-conference losses to Wake Forest and Cal last year. The Mustangs ranked just ahead of Utah, Iowa, Clemson, Houston, and Missouri. Utah, Houston, and Iowa finished last year ahead of the Mustangs in the coaches poll.

Iowa is, as always, an extremely strong team with little recognition and more than capable of ending the year higher in the poll. Utah and Houston both posted 10+ win seasons in the Big 12 last year. While I think the Cougars, with Connor Weigman still at quarterback, could end up being a sneaky contender to win the Big 12, I think a Utes squad with a new head coach and an entirely new offensive line will not finish ahead of SMU.

Following the 2024 ACC Championship, it has felt like SMU has done more to gain national respect than Clemson. The Tigers were just 4-4 in the ACC last year, losing every ranked game they played and even falling to the Mustangs at home. As for the other Tigers, Mizzou is the ninth and final SEC team ranked in the top 25 by the coaches. It’s hard to imagine there are nine SEC teams better than SMU right now.

Placing the Mustangs 20th in the country feels about right, given some of the losses from last year but also the upside of returning Kevin Jennings and a top offensive line as well as bringing in a strong transfer class.

SMU will find out if it made the official Preseason AP Top 25 on Monday, August 17.

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