CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rhett Lashlee isn't naïve about the enormous challenge facing Southern Methodist University as his team transitions to the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.
But that hasn't dampened the third-year head coach's confidence.
"It's a jump," Lashlee said. "We are moving up in weight class. We are going to learn a lot about our program and where we stand. We are excited about that. I do feel like we can compete, and I will be very disappointed if we don't."
The Mustangs have known since last September they were headed to the ACC, but Lashlee said being at the conference's preseason media days on Monday in Charlotte made it feel all the more real.
SMU is coming off an 11-3 season and an American Athletic Conference championship, earning a trip to the Fenway Bowl and finishing ranked 22nd in the AP Top 25 poll. But Lashlee acknowledged that facing an elite level of competition "week in and week out" will be this team's biggest challenge.
He has some concerns about this team's overall depth, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines. And he also acknowledged it may take time for the Mustangs to catch up to the other ACC schools on the recruiting front.
But he believes that'll happen as the program receives more exposure from playing in the ACC this season.
Lashlee, who is 18-9 in two seasons at SMU, is familiar with the school's rich football history, which includes developing stars like Doak Walker and Eric Dickerson and winning 11 Southwestern Conference championships — and he thinks that helps in the transition.
"We have been at this level before [as a program]," Lashlee said. "We are different than a school that maybe has never been at the power level that gets the call up versus a school that had it for a long time and had it taken away."
SMU was a national power in the Southwestern Conference before the NCAA notoriously handed down a "death penalty" in 1987 for secret slush fund payments to players after multiple warnings. The NCAA canceled the 1987 season and the university opted not to return for 1988, a two-year hiatus which had major ramifications for the program.
Now the money is pouring in — legally, under new pay-for-play rules — to SMU, the only major college football program within a 30-mile radius to Dallas.
Earlier this month, SMU announced it had surpassed a $125 million fundraising goal since being added to the ACC along with California and Stanford. That comes as SMU forgoes nine years of media-rights distribution payouts from the ACC and doesn't earn a full share until its 10th league season.
"I think it just speaks to the acknowledgement from our community, the SMU community, this isn't just about athletics," athletics director Rick Hart said. "This is an institutional moment. And it's an incredible opportunity for SMU to elevate -- institutionally, athletically, nationally -- in ways that we've not been able to do before."
Returning starting quarterback Preston Stone is among the players embracing the opportunity. He said he welcomes being thrust into the "uncomfortable situation" of moving up from what he called a middleweight class.
But he said that having played against Oklahoma, Memphis and TCU last season has helped SMU prepare for the transition.
"Absolutely we will be able to compete right away," Stone said. "Regardless of who we are playing, if we can show up and execute our game plan and play our football we have a chance to win every game on our schedule."
The schedule makers didn't do SMU any favors.
The Mustangs' first two ACC games will come against defending champion Florida State on Sept. 28 at home, and at runner-up Louisville on Oct. 5.
"The league has a good sense of humor," Lashlee joked. "We will learn real quickly where we stand."
FSU undefeated again?
Florida State went unbeaten last season and still didn't make the College Football Playoff in large part because injuries devastated the quarterback position and left them at less than full strength. Seminoles defensive lineman Joshua Farmer said being shunned "really (ticked) off" players, and is something they're using as motivation entering 2024.
"We went 13-0, what else can you do?" Farmer said. "We went undefeated. That (ticked) us off pretty bad and we are mad at that... That's a big motivator because now we know we just can't beat a team, we have to really beat them."
With the CFP expanding to 12 teams, the ACC champion is guaranteed a spot -- which Farmer said the Seminoles plan to capture.
"We are going to win the ACC and go undefeated again and show everybody that last year wasn't a fluke," Farmer said. "[We want to show] that we didn't lose everything, and that we still have talent on this team."
Haynes one of the best?
Jamal Haynes enters the season as Georgia Tech's undisputed starting running back after making a successful transition from wide receiver a year ago. Haynes ran for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry for the Yellow Jackets.
Haynes compares his style to that of Alvin Kamara and Jahmyr Gibbs, two versatile NFL running backs who are able run and catch the ball out of the backfield. He said he deserves to be mentioned among the ACC's elite backs like North Carolina's Omarion Hampton and California's Jaydn Ott.
"Those guys that you mentioned had great, great seasons for the past two years," said Haynes, a third-team All-ACC selection last year. "They have been statistically consistent and deserve their spot, but I'm just here to take it this season."
On deck
The ACC Kickoff resumes Tuesday with the league's two West Coast schools — California and Stanford — making their debut after leaving the Pac-12. Coaches and players from Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech are also on the schedule.