No. 16 SMU opens season against East Texas A&M

Via Baileigh Sheffield for Mustang Wire

DALLAS — No. 16 SMU opens it's season Saturday at home against East Texas A&M, looking to build on back-to-back 11-win campaigns and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance.

The Mustangs went 11-3 last year, earning the No. 11 seed in the expanded 12-team playoff. They enter 2025 ranked in the preseason top 20 for the first time since 1985 and were picked third in the ACC conference poll.

Quarterback Kevin Jennings, who is on several national award watch lists, led the ACC in passer efficiency a year ago. Safety Isaiah Nwokobia has also drawn preseason All-America recognition.

SMU has won six straight season openers and is 20-4 over its last 24 games. The Mustangs have been dominant at Gerald Ford Stadium, averaging nearly 49 points per game at home since 2022.

This will be the first meeting between the programs.