It may not be usual what happened at ACC Media Day, but SMU Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee certainly had something to say that was different from the other coaches.
Most coaches focus on their teams and how they are shaping up for the 2026 season. Lashlee was very different from the rest as he started by talking about the conference and how much better it is.
He first focused on the SEC and argued that it is too top-heavy. Lashlee shared a key stat with the media to back up that claim.
“Let’s look at the past, last year we went 8-6 vs. the SEC,” Lashlee said via On3’s Brett McMurphy. “I ruffled some feathers last year when I said since 1963 the same 6 teams have won a certain conference (SEC) & it held true again last year.”
Rhett Lashlee Made Sure to Shout Out ACC Team’s Playoff Snub
GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 07: Rhett Lashlee of the SMU Mustangs reacts during the fourth quarter of the 2024 ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 07, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Lashlee wasn’t done there, as he wanted to double down on the support of the ACC by helping out a fellow team: the Duke Blue Devils. Last year, the Blue Devils defeated the Virginia Cavaliers to win the ACC Championship Game, but did not get into the College Football Playoffs, as the committee picked the Sun Belt Conference champion and undefeated Jame Madison. That scenario did not sit well with Lashlee.
“I think we all know that Duke easily should have been in the Playoff (last year). When you win the ACC the way they did, and who they beat, they should have been in instead of a team from the Sun Belt,” Lashlee said. “Hopefully, things get learned, and that doesn’t happen again. We should have been a two-bid league.”
The ACC was still represented in the College Football Playoffs, though, as the Miami Hurricanes made the field. They went on a long run to the national championship game before losing to the Indiana Hoosiers.
SMU Ready to Keep Winning Ways Going in ACC Action
GettySAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 02: Stone Eby #44 of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs celebrates with Kevin Jennings #7 after scoring a touchdown against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half of the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl game at Snapdragon Stadium on January 02, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
After making the College Football Playoffs in 2024, last year was different for the Mustangs. A rough 2-2 start to the season doomed the Mustangs to missing the playoffs, as they finished 9-4. They defeated the Arizona Wildcats 24-19 in the Holiday Bowl.
There is more pressure this year on Lashlee to get his SMU program back into the College Football Playoffs, with expectations having shifted since the 2024 season began. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings is back for another season as the star of the team.
As for the ACC, the conference would like to see more dominant teams that can win 10-plus games to give it a more definitive top-10. They had 11 teams finish with winning records overall, and five teams tied for second in the conference at 6-2, with Virginia in first at 7-1.
Last season was a good indicator that the ACC remains one of the nation’s premier conferences. SMU hopes to return to the top and represent the conference in the College Football Playoff for the second time in the last three seasons.
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