Everything You Need to Know Ahead of Stanford vs. SMU

After a week off, it is time for more football. Winning in come from behind fashion against San José State right before the bye week, the Stanford Cardinal (2-3, 1-1 ACC) are ready for what could be their toughest test yet—a matchup against the SMU Mustangs.

The first of a very tough three-game gauntlet, the Cardinal will want to put their best foot forward in this one in order to gain even more confidence and even up thir record.

The Cardinal's season looked all but over, losing to a SJSU team that was considered largely inferior to the already rebuilding Cardinal program. But thanks to a late-game surge from the offense and the defense digging deep, the Cardinal pulled off the miraculous comeback and won the game 30-29, helping them improve to 2-3 and putting themselves in a prime spot to improve off of a fourth straight 3-9 season.

Despite being listed as massive underdogs, the Cardinal are ready to surprise people and pull off an upset over a team that had tremendous expectations heading into this season. But, SMU is a very good team and in order for the Cardinal to win, they will need to play their best brand of football.

Here is a preview of Stanford's matchup against the SMU Mustangs.

Game Information

When: Saturday, Oct. 11, 9:00 a.m. (PT)

Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium

How to Watch: The CW

Spread: SMU (-18.5)

Moneyline: SMU (-926), Stanford (+615)

Total: O/U 55.5

*Betting odds provided by Fox Sports and are used here as a reference point, not betting advice.

Players to Watch - Stanford

WR Caden High

Stanford lost a lot of talent from last year's wide receiver room, leading to the Cardinal going out and getting a guy like High. Shining at South Carolina State as a freshman, expectations were high for High when he joined the Cardinal. Playing a limited role so far since joining Stanford, High has slowly started to find his footing, putting together his best game against San José State.

Catching five passes for 110 yards, averaging 22 yards per reception, High and C.J. Williams formed a very formidable duo and were a big reason why Stanford was able to pull off the come from behind win over the Spartans.

And now that High has that big game under his belt, his confidence is much improved, so expect to see him be heavily involved for the Cardinal once again this week-- especially with SMU being a much tougher matchup.

RB Cole Tabb

The running back room has been dominated by guys like Micah Ford and Sedrick Irvin, but Tabb's skillset makes it hard to keep him off the field. The redshirt freshman committed to Stanford to provide a boost for the running back room and ended up redshirting, giving him an extra year of eligibility. Now, Tabb returns for year two much improved.

Playing his best game against San José State, leading all Stanford running backs with 12 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, Tabb's strong performance gives Stanford another option for an already crowded backfield. And if the Cardinal are able to spread the carries around and prevent one guy from being overused, it could go a long way towards improving the fortunes of the running game.

LB Sam Mattingly

A former standout at Magnolia West High School in Magnolia, Texas, Mattingly joined Stanford prior to last season, where he played primarily on special teams. But even as a special teamer, Mattingly put his skills on full display, recording six tackles on special teams and forcing a fumble in last year's Big Game.

This season, Mattingly has made 12 total tackles but will get the chance to do even more against SMU. With starting linebacker Matt Rose suspended for the first half of the game against SMU after receiving a targeting call in the SJSU game, Mattingly will start the game and will get the chance to fully show what he can do.

Players to Watch - SMU

QB Kevin Jennings

Since the start of his college career in 2022, Jennings has steadily gotten better each season, culminating in him taking over as the Mustangs' full-time starter midway through last season.

In 14 games played (11 starts) in 2024, Jennings threw for 3,245 yards and 23 touchdowns, adding 354 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. A Third-team All-ACC selection, Jennings entered this season as one of college football's most interesting prospects.

Now, SMU is Jennings' team and so far this season, he has played fairly well despite the Mustangs taking a step back from their college football playoff team from a season ago. In five games this season, Jennings has 1,411 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions, with a completion percentage of 71.4%.

In the Mustangs' most recent game, a 31-18 win over Syracuse, Jennings completed 29 out of his 35 pass attempts for 285 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. A dominant dual threat quarterback, Jennings will give the Cardinal problems if they are not careful.

WR Romello Brinson

Beginning his college career at Miami before transferring to SMU prior to the 2023 season, Brinson has extensive experience in the ACC and came into this season as one of SMU's most important leaders.

Despite limited action so far with the Mustangs, totaling only 566 receiving yards combined in his first two seasons, Brinson has broken out this season and has been a major X-factor for SMU's offense.

Having 26 catches for 436 yards and three touchdowns, Brinson currently leads all Mustangs in receiving and has shown the college football world just how tough he is to defend. Starting the season with two straight 100-yard games, Brinson has put together consistently strong performances this year and will most likely get a lot of targets once again this weekend.

S Isaiah Nwokobia

Not every day do you see a safety lead a team in tackles, but Nwokobia not only leads the Mustangs in tackles, but he has been a star in pass coverage as well. A First-team All-ACC selection after last season, Nwokobia was widely considered a highly touted prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft, but instead opted to return for his fifth and final season of eligibility.

Currently having 37 total tackles with five passes defended an interception, Nwokobia has continued to anchor the SMU defense and be the superstar that he is.

Known for his ability to fly around the field to make plays and his knack for knowing where the ball is, Nwokobia is well on his way to another 100 tackle season. If Stanford wants to find any success offensively, keeping ball carriers and throws away from him will be key.

By the Numbers

3 - number of times Stanford and SMU have played each other

Prior to joining the ACC, both Stanford and SMU never really played each other, meeting only one time in their entire school's history before the conference realignment. But this season, SMU and Stanford will face off for the third time, meeting last season at Stanford Stadium. This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools in Dallas.

1936 - year that SMU and Stanford first faced off

The first time SMU and Stanford faced off was during the 1936 Rose Bowl, where Stanford won 7-0 in a defensive showdown. Stanford's defense forced seven turnovers, including six interceptions. The win was Stanford's second-ever Rose Bowl victory, and capped off a run of three straight Rose Bowls for Stanford. It was also the first Rose Bowl to ever sell out, with an attendance of nearly 85,000 fans.

1-1 - Stanford's record against SMU

The Rose Bowl marked the one win for Stanford, while last year's matchup marked SMU's first win. Coming to Stanford Stadium in what was Elijah Brown's first game back from an injury, the Mustangs took home the 40-10 win, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter.

Then ranked No. 21 SMU recorded over 500 yards of offense, with Jennings responsible for 322 passing yards. Stanford's only touchdown came when Brown connected with Elic Ayomanor for an 18-yard score.

Score Prediction

SMU 42, Stanford 21

Stanford is coming off of a major momentum boosting win and a bye week, giving the Cardinal everything that they need to pull off the upset. The Cardinal are entering a very tough three game stretch in which they are expected to struggle, so pulling off an upset could change the trajectory of Stanford's season in a major way. With that being the case, expect Stanford to come out firing early.

But SMU, while not as good as last season, is still SMU and is no stranger to coming up big when it matters most. A high powered offense led by a very good quarterback will force Stanford's defense to have to really work for the win. Based on how it has played the past few games, this is not a game where anyone should expect Stanford's defense to suddenly improve.

Ford Stadium is also a very hostile environment, which will make things even harder for the Cardinal. Stanford will compete for all four quarters, but will not have enough in the tank to get it done in Dallas.