DALLAS – The Atlantic Coast Conference has rolled out the red carpet for SMU's entry into the conference. A week after playing the reigning conference champions, the Mustangs will face Louisville, the team most prognosticators have projected as second only to Florida State in their preseason projections.
As fellow staff writer Andy Hodges pointed out in a recent column, SMU's first ACC road game comes in the middle of a crucial three-game stretch.
Here's an early preview of Louisville, the Mustangs' sixth opponent for the 2024 season.
By the time SMU travels to Louisville, SMU coach Rhett Lashlee will know who the Cardinals' quarterback will be, but in June there's no clear answer.
The Cardinals have eight quarterbacks under center but none of last year's starters (Jack Plummer, who signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent). Harrison Bailey is the only quarterback with Louisville experience, and he played in just one game (3-of-5 completions for 51 yards and a touchdown). One of the other seven quarterbacks is graduate transfer Tyler Shaw, who threw for 746 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions last year at Texas Tech.
The center linemen will also work with a new running back. Last year's top receivers, Jauhar Jordan and Isaac Guerend, are in the NFL. The Cardinals also lost their top receivers, but they do return Chris Bell (29 receptions, 407 yards, two touchdowns) and have Alabama transfer JaCorey Brooks, who had 57 receptions for 896 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career in Tuscaloosa.
Louisville's defense could be the centerpiece of the team come season's end, with the return of the team's top two tacklers in 2023, linebacker TJ Quinn (91 tackles, one interception) and defensive back Devin Neal (74 tackles, four interceptions, six passes defended).
Phil Steele's annual College Football Preview magazine ranks each of the Cardinals' defenses in the top five in the ACC. Additionally, the Cardinals' defensive line and secondary are ranked in the top 25 nationally, with the linebackers ranked 30th.
A week after opening its ACC schedule against Georgia Tech, Louisville will face Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. The Fighting Irish will be the best team Louisville faces before SMU's trip to the land of horse racing and bourbon, and the Mustangs could benefit from a Louisville team dealing with the results against a tough opponent.
Realistically, SMU comes into this game with a 5-1 record at best. Florida State is a tough opponent for the Mustangs and not many people expect them to win (but, hey, anything can happen, right?). A look at the Mustangs' records against BYU and TCU will give you a good idea of how they will fare against Louisville. If SMU wins both games, the Cardinals will be in serious trouble.
date: October 5
time: to be decided
tv set: to be decided
position: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
series: SMU leads the series 2-0
Last meeting: SMU and Louisville haven't played each other in 40 years. The Mustangs and Cardinals last met during the 1984 season, with SMU winning 41-7. The teams also met the year before, with SMU again winning 24-6.
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