Stanford Inherits New Rival In SMU Mustangs With ACC Move

Stanford, Cal, and SMU were among the last few programs to make a jump in what was a massive wave of college football realignment

College football realignment has done many things to the landscape of the sport we love so dearly.

For starters, it has essentially killed the Pac-12 with 10 of the conference's 12 programs leaving. Realignment has made geography and regionality words that simply don't apply anymore, with programs from California being in conferences with schools from New Jersey or Miami. While money remains supreme and always will in sports, one of the handful of positives that stems from Stanford's move to the ACC is a new rival.

In the Pac-12, Stanford's main rivals were Cal, USC, Oregon, and UCLA. They are also rivals with independent Notre Dame, who they will play no matter what and will now be in the same conference as in certain sports, as Notre Dame is an ACC member for non-football sports. 

However, on top of being able to continue to be in a Power 4 conference and likely get ready for the next wave of realignment, Stanford also gained a rival. As revealed on Monday by the ACC's schedule announcement, the conference maintained "permanent rivals". So, certain teams will play each other every single year to maintain rivalries. Every team had a different amount, with some having three and a couple not having any.

For Stanford and Cal, while they will have ties cut with their former West Coast foes, they did develop a new rival in SMU. A program that appeared to be Pac-12 bound with San Diego State had the conference stayed together, SMU is located in the heart of Dallas and is the closest conference opponent to the California schools. 

Here is what Stanford fans need to know about their new rival. 

All-Time Series

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Using the phrase "All-Time" here is quite generous, due to the fact the two teams have played just once before in 1935. At the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president and the can of beer was invented. Stanford won their lone meeting by a score of 7-0 giving the Cardinal the 1-0 series lead. 

The 'Death Penalty'

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In a penalty that drew comparisons from one school president to the dropping of the atom bomb, in the 1980s SMU was reprimanded for partaking in the paying of players in what was the peak of their program. The punishment erased SMU’s 1987 season and also forced the Mustangs to cancel their 1988 season. The face of the scandal, among others, was none other than Hall Of Fame running back Erick Dickerson, who many joked actually took less money to go to the NFL. In 1985 SMU was effectively banned from bowl games for two seasons, and was also stripped of 45 scholarships over two years. They ended up not taking the field until 1989, and their program was never the same, compiling just two seasons at .500 or better from the span of 1989 to 2008. It wasn't until 2009 that they won their first bowl game since 1984, and it wasn't until 2019 they won 10 games in a season. 

How Are They Doing?

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Former Cal head coach Sonny Dykes really got this program going in 2019, as they finished with a 10-3 record, marking the first time they had amassed nine wins since 1984. They have won at least seven games since 2019, and this year are currently sitting at a 6-2 record under second-year head coach Rhett Lashlee. Since their move to the ACC they have picked up in recruiting a bit, with their 2025 class currently holding four commits and ranking as the No. 10 class in the country with three of their commits ranking as their top five highest-rated recruits in program history. Outside of Memphis, their remaining schedule pits them against programs that are 4-4 or worse, meaning that they could very well win nine or 10 games this year. This will be a fascinating matchup for Stanford for years to come.