National level showdowns like SMU-Pitt are why Mustangs headed to the ACC

UNIVERSITY PARK – The forecast calls for a 40% chance of rain and isolated thunderstorms in Dallas on Saturday. SMU football coach Rhett Lashlee isn't too worried about the impact a little precipitation can have on the field. The mustangs will prepare as they always would, adapting on the fly as necessary to meet nature's demands.

Additionally, Lashlee said Tuesday, “If you don't like the weather in Dallas, just wait.”

And if you don't like the competition in Dallas, do something about it. The Mustangs did. They spent two and a half decades in college football's minor leagues – the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference – before a long-awaited invitation from the Atlantic Coast Conference brought SMU back to the majors.

National showdowns like Saturday's between No. 20 SMU (7-1, 4-0 ACC) and No. 18 Pitt (7-0, 3-0) and the opportunities those games present are enough to declare why the Mustangs took the chance.

“A 7-1 record in November, a 4-0 record in the league, a four-way tie for first place and fighting for something,” Lashlee said, “that's obviously the goal we wanted to achieve. “

Saturday's game marks the first consecutive sellout in Gerald J. Ford Stadium's 24-year history. Student tickets sold out in 19 minutes on Monday. The Mustangs averaged a home attendance of 22,616 last season; This season they averaged 31,574 spectators in four home games in a stadium with a capacity of 32,000. Their ACC opener against Florida State on September 8 drew a sellout crowd of 34,879 – the fourth largest stadium in history.

Turns out fans react to winners.

Especially in the big leagues.

“It’s no surprise to me that we’re where we are,” said defensive end Jahfari Harvey, a transfer from Miami. “It’s great to bring an atmosphere like this to SMU in our first year in the ACC. I don’t think anyone else has ever done that, moving up a conference and playing as well as we’re playing right now.”

Harvey has done his research. According to CBS Sports, no former Group of Five school that converted to a power conference has ever started better than 1-1 in league play in its first season, nor has any won a conference championship in its first year. The Mustangs are still theoretically entitled to the latter. A win against Pitt — one of four teams still undefeated in conference play — can move SMU closer to maintaining the top spot in the conference.

For reference, SMU is the only nationally ranked team to jump from the Group of Five to a power conference in the modern realignment era. No. 8 BYU, the only team SMU has lost to this season, is the closest comparison after moving from independent play to the Big 12 last year. Even in the first power conference season they went 2-7 in conference play.

“It's a good thing for the SMU culture and SMU football to make it clear to everyone in the country that SMU plays really good football,” said wide receiver Roderick Daniels Jr., a Duncanville native. “We’re actually playing good teams, we’re actually winning, it actually means something.”

Good teams. Victories. Sensible wins.

It comes with the new conference area.

The Mustangs didn't have to wait too long either.

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.