OPINION: Multiple AAC Titles Give Confidence to SMU Players, Fans Headed to ACC

Ponies not trashing any AAC titles, which mean absolutely nothing in world where they are heading now

SMU Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee points to the field in a game in Orlando, Fla. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — If you were a fan of professional wrestling in the late 90s, you probably remember the Monday Night Wars between then-WWF and WCW. One of the many highlights of rivalry between the two companies is Madusa leaving the WWF as the women’s champion and tossing that belt in a trashcan on a WCW broadcast.

Can you imagine how it must have felt to be Madusa or anyone for the WCW? And it’s the exact opposite for the WWF. SMU must be feeling a lot like Madusa and the WCW as end of the school year approaches.

The Mustangs will join the ACC on July 1, but will leave its former conference with several reigning conference championship teams. The SMU football team won its first conference title in 40 years last fall, the women’s golf and tennis teams won their AAC championship tournaments last week, and the SMU Equestrian team won its second national championship.

That’s plenty of championship belts for the Mustangs to carry into their ACC debut, but it’s not likely we’ll see any belts tossed in a trashcan.

SMU’s new conference foes may not be impressed or worried about the Mustangs being the reigning AAC championships. But it should provide a confidence boost to the players and fans. SMU teams are learning to win and winning is winning.

Sure, winning the ACC football championship will be a bigger challenge than in the AAC. But the Mustangs have some conference championship experience, which is better than nothing. Same thing can be said for the women’s golf and tennis teams.

Once SMU officially joins the ACC this summer and games start to be played, these AAC championships won’t mean a whole lot.

But it’s a great feeling to leave an organization as its best and knowing they won’t get a chance at revenge.