From 1918 to 1996, the SMU Mustangs played in the Southwest Conference. It was a prominent conference, with member universities including Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, TCU, Baylor and others. The Mustangs won or shared the conference championship 11 times, with the last title in 1984.
Infamously, SMU’s football program received the college football “death penalty” in 1987, with the NCAA canceling the Mustangs’ season. SMU voluntarily opted out of the 1988 season, concerned it would be unable to field a competitive team. A few seasons later, the Southwest Conference folded, and the Mustangs, reeling from the devastating impact of the death penalty, joined the Western Athletic Conference in 1996. For the next quarter century, the Mustangs languished in relative obscurity, not playing in a top-tier conference.
This season, however, marks SMU’s return to power conference status. Along with the Cal Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal, the Mustangs joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.
