SMU schedules home-and-home with Baylor
SMU Football is reviving one of the top rivalries from its Southwest Conference days. The Mustangs will host Baylor Sept. 6, 2025 before facing the Bears in Waco on Sept. 19, 2026.
With TCU coming off SMU’s schedule at least as of now following the 2025 season, the matchup makes a lot of sense for both programs. Regional rivalries and matchups aren’t as prevalent with conference realignment rocking the college football world.
Instead of shying away, SMU and Baylor will face off in a pivotal matchup for bragging rights. SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee will have another opportunity to grab a big in-state win.
Lashlee is excited about the future for the Mustangs as they enter the ACC in 2024.
“I don’t think there’s been a better time, maybe ever, definitely not since Eric Dickerson played here 40 years ago, to come to SMU,” Lashlee told On3 in February. “And I’m the one who’s blessed to get to be the head coach.”
Per FB Schedules, the 2026 matchup is the first nonconference game SMU has confirmed as they transition into the ACC.
The Baylor-SMU series dates back to 1916, playing every season under World World II began in 1942. A short two-year hiatus ended in 1945 then faced off annually until 1986 due to SMU receiving the death penalty from the NCAA. To that point, the Mustangs had an all-time advantage with a 36-26-7 record.
However, Baylor has dominated the rivalry since the 1990s — with one game occurring in 1989. Thirteen times have Baylor and SMU lined up and all 13 have been won by the Bears to take the 39-36-7 lead all-time. Not many have been close either, will all but two being decided by at least 19 points.
