AAC Football: SMU Could Land First Top 25 Ranking Since ’86

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One of the best college football games on Saturday came from the AAC, as SMU went on the road to beat #25 TCU 41-38 in the “Battle for the Iron Skillet” rivalry game. It was a shootout complete with nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and 10 combined touchdowns. And, with the victory, the SMU Mustangs may be nationally ranked for the first time since 1986, the year before they got the infamous “death penalty” from the NCAA.

The Mustangs didn’t field a team in 1987 and 1988 but they resumed play in 1989. Since then, however, they’ve only had four winning seasons, three of which came in a four-year span under June Jones (’09-’12), and zero rankings in the Top 25. Now, after starting 4-0 for the first time in 36 years and receiving a vote in last week’s Coaches Poll, it may finally happen when the new rankings drop.

“We proved a lot of people wrong. We worked for this. We earned this. It’s something that we deserve,” SMU linebacker Delano Robinson told The Dallas Morning News after the game.

As you can see from the highlights above, SMU also debuted some new jerseys for the rivalry game, duds that pay homage to the city of Dallas and the university itself. The word “Dallas” was right above the number on the front of their jerseys and there was a big D on the side of each helmet surrounding the traditional Mustangs logo. Per the official SMU Twitter account, the stripes on the sleeve also paid homage to the Dallas Cowboys, as did the jersey numbers.

Shane Buechele, who was once a starter at Texas, looked great leading the SMU offense again and I’m convinced he can play at the next level. He averaged 8.5 yards per passing attempt and accounted for three touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground. James Proche, one of the top receivers in AAC football, caught 10 passes from Buechele, as well as a nine-yard touchdown.

SMU will play its first conference game next week at South Florida.