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After toppling No. 22 Louisville, SMU enters Top 25 in Coaches Poll, AP Poll

On3 imageby: Billy Embody10/06/24BillyEmbody
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Oct 5, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs running back LJ Johnson Jr. (11) lunges for the goal line to score a touchdown against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The SMU Mustangs are back in the Top 25 in their first season as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both the Coaches Poll and AP Poll slotted Rhett Lashlee’s team at No. 25.

Louisville fell out of the Top 25 in both polls and is now receiving votes. The Mustangs beat the Cardinals on the road, 34-27, on Saturday to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play.

For Lashlee, he knows his team still has to improve. SMU will head to Stanford on Oct. 19 after a bye week, making it a long trek out west to face its first permanent opponent in ACC scheduling.

“We haven’t done anything yet, other than put ourselves in position going into the second half of the season to play meaningful games,” Lashlee said.

After falling at home to BYU, SMU’s crushed TCU, beat up on Florida State and outlasted a comeback bid by Louisville to now sit in the Top 25. The Mustangs have won 11 straight conference contests dating back to last season.

“Our leadership on our team,” Lashlee said of what’s stood out about SMU during this stretch. “It’s their team. They did such a good job after that BYU loss. Going for 15 days and a bye week after a losses stinks, so I’m really glad we’re going into this one after a win. But they trusted each other, they trusted the coaches, the staff, they trusted the process and they just went one game at a time and they just knocked off TCU, then Florida State and at Louisville.”

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