CHARLOTTE – After a tough loss to the Tigers in the ACC Championship last season, SMU will be pitted against Clemson again. This time, it will be in Death Valley.

The Mustangs earned a massive accomplishment with their berth in the ACC Championship this past season, and it being their first year in the conference is the icing on the cake. SMU quickly fell behind in the score, but they managed to fight back into reach of a victory before a field goal from Clemson ended things.

Head coach Rhett Lashlee spoke on the difficulty of facing the Tigers and head coach Dabo Swinney last year at today’s ACC Media Kickoff in Charlotte.

“The biggest thing is, we’re facing Dabo Swinney,” Lashlee said. “I mean, he’s the patriarch of ACC football, and I have tons of respect for him. He’s actually become, in this league, someone I really respect. I don’t know if we have friends as coaches, but I really respect him, and we talk often. He reminds me that they beat us.”

Despite the loss, SMU made a national statement in its first year in the conference, making the ACC Championship and earning a bid in the College Football Playoff. The Mustangs have the opportunity to face the Tigers again, with the next game being in Clemson. Coach Lashlee had nothing but praise for his new ACC rival.

“I vote in the coaches poll, and they are going to be number one in my poll, and not just because I’m in this league,” Lashlee said. “I think they’re national championship-level good this year, and they have everybody back from that team we played. Now, we’re a different team, and they will be to some degree too.”

Clemson is currently rated at No. 2 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early rankings for the 2025 season, and programs across the nation expect the Tigers to be a top contender this year. As a team that is likely marked on every one of their opponents’ schedules, Clemson has a lot of expectations to live up to.

“We knew that if you want to get into this league, and you want to earn respect, and you want to ever get to the top, you’re going to have to go through the best, and they’ve been the standard for the last decade,” Lashlee said.

For Clemson, “The Standard is the Standard,” and their expectation for this season is success.