SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Southern Methodist University Mustangs players celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Arizona Wildcats in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl game at Snapdragon Stadium on January 02, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images For the second-straight year, SMU is ranked prior to its opening kickoff.The Mustangs garnered a ranking of No. 19 in the preseason AP Top 25.It’s the second time since 1985 they’ve started a season in the AP Poll. Last August, SMU ended a 37-year drought with an appearance at No. 16 in the preseason rankings. At No. 19, SMU is the second-highest ACC team, only trailing reigning national runner-up Miami (FL) which sits at No. 7. The Mustangs are the fourth-highest ranked team in the state of Texas, following No. 5 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, and No. 12 Texas Tech.SMU is fresh off a 9-4 campaign where it finished unranked. After defeating a ranked Arizona team in the Holiday Bowl, the Mustangs barely missed the final cut and were the third-highest team in the “receiving votes” category. It marked the first time since head coach Rhett Lashlee’s 2022 debut season that SMU concluded a season without a number beside its name.The Mustangs return 11 primary starters from 2025, including starting quarterback in Kevin Jennings who enters his third year as QB1. Jennings guided the Mustangs to a 2023 American Conference championship, a 2024 ACC Championship Game appearance, the 2024 College Football Playoff, and a 2025 Holiday Bowl victory. SMU aims to add to that list of accolades as the quarterback prepares for his final season in Dallas. Other key returning pieces include Holiday Bowl MVP receiver Yamir Knight, All-ACC offensive tackle PJ Williams, and starting linebacks Alex Kilgore and Brandon Booker.All eyes will be on the No. 19 Mustangs, as they open in a standalone Monday night game at Florida State on Sept. 7. SMU is 14-2 in conference play since joining the ACC, and the result of the team’s first-ever road contest in Tallahassee could set the tone for a season with lofty expectations.Here is the full preseason AP Top 25:RankTeam2025 RecordConference1Ohio State12-2Big Ten2Oregon13-2Big Ten3Georgia12-2SEC4Notre Dame10-2Independent5Texas10-3SEC6Indiana16-0Big Ten7Miami (FL)13-3ACC8Texas A&M11-2SEC9Ole Miss13-2SEC10Oklahoma10-3SEC11LSU7-6SEC12Texas Tech12-2Big 1213Alabama11-4SEC14BYU12-2Big 1215USC9-4Big Ten16Michigan9-4Big Ten17Washington9-4Big Ten18Penn State7-6Big Ten19SMU9-4ACC20Tennessee8-5SEC21Utah11-2Big 1222Iowa9-4Big Ten23Houston10-3Big 1224Louisville9-4ACC25Missouri8-5SEC

Source: Yahoo Sports