No. 21 SMU (5-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) at Stanford (2-4, 1-2), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
BetMGM College Football Odds: SMU by 14 1/2.
Series record: Stanford leads 1-0.
What’s at stake?
This is the first conference meeting between the ACC newcomers. The Mustangs are off to a strong start and are trying to maintain their perfect conference record. The Cardinal have lost three straight games by a combined total of 92 points and seek their first home win in the ACC.
Key matchup
SMU QB Kevin Jennings vs. Stanford D. Jennings had a career high 394 yards of offense in his last game with 281 yards passing and 113 yards rushing, including a 59-yard TD run. He was the first Mustangs player with at least 200 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game since Matt Davis did it at Tulsa in 2014. The Cardinal rank 118th in the country allowing 266.7 yards passing per game.
Players to watch
SMU: RB Brashard Smith. The transfer from Miami has been one of the top backs in the conference so far this season. He ranks seventh in the nation in total touchdowns (8), ninth nationally in all-purpose yards (151.2 per game), ninth in rushing yards per carry (7.3).
Stanford: DB Jshawn Frausto-Ramos. There wasn’t much positive from last week’s blowout loss at Notre Dame but Frausto-Ramos had seven tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Facts & figures
Stanford won the only previous meeting between the schools 7-0 in the 1936 Rose Bowl. … SMU has won seven straight road games for the second-longest active streak in the country. … The Mustangs are 21-1 under coach Rhett Lashlee when scoring at least 30 points. … SMU has allowed no sacks in four of six games. … The Mustangs have forced at least one turnover in the last five games and in 15 of the past 16 contests dating to 2023. … The Cardinal have lost 10 straight home games against FBS opponents and 16 of 17. … Stanford is 0-8 against ranked teams in two seasons under coach Troy Taylor and has lost 15 straight overall against ranked teams since beating No. 3 Oregon 31-24 on Oct. 2, 2021.
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