Back in the Poll at No. 25: SMU Gets Wake Forest, a 77-0 Team With a Top-12 Ranking, Saturday at Ford Stadium

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RF Sports Radio branded title card with SMU Mustang logo: No. 25 SMU hosts No. 11 Wake Forest

By Brooke Calloway, RF Sports Radio SMU voice

Mustang fans, the rankings are back on SMU's side of the ledger, and the next opponent is the one the poll voters just fell in love with. No. 25 SMU hosts No. 11 Wake Forest on Saturday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and the whole ACC race feels like it runs through this kickoff.

The facts

Per SMU Athletics, the Mustangs returned to the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday at No. 25 and are No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll after a 51-28 win over Virginia Tech on Friday. Kevin Jennings threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns, and Yamir Knight had 103 yards receiving and a career-best three touchdown catches. SMU is 7-2.

Wake Forest (8-1) is No. 11 in the AP poll after beating Merrimack 77-0 on Saturday, per ESPN's scoreboard. Notre Dame beat Miami 31-24 on Saturday in a game that reshuffled the top of the poll. In the ACC standings, as listed by NCAA.com, Wake is 5-1 in league play and SMU is 5-2. Kickoff is Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.

On3's Kevin Lonnquist wrote that SMU's showing against Virginia Tech set the stage for a big Wake Forest week, and a College Football Locker preview framed the Merrimack rout as a reset that sets up a defining ACC test for SMU. A caution on that: a 77-0 game against Merrimack tells you very little about how Wake will handle an SMU defense that has to play the pass and the run at the same time.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: this is the best game on SMU's schedule and the Mustangs should be a little bit dangerous in it. Jennings is playing at a high level, Knight is emerging as a second option, and Ford Stadium with a ranked opponent in town should be as loud as it gets. The poll bump helps recruiting and the room, but it does not decide anything on Saturday.

What scares me is the penalty and field-position game. Wake is 8-1 for a reason, and SMU cannot give away free yards and expect Jennings to fix everything.

I also would not lean on the ACC standings too much. Wake is the better team on paper at 8-1 and sits 14 spots higher in the AP poll, but SMU just looked its best at Ford Stadium.

Prediction: SMU 34, Wake Forest 31. Mustangs by a field goal.

What to watch next

Watch Rhett Lashlee's weekly press conference for injury news, and how the poll treats Saturday's winner. For our Friday recap of the Virginia Tech win, read our Nov. 8 Wake Forest preview, and follow the Mustangs on our SMU Football page.

Radio question: is a win over Wake Forest enough to make SMU a real ACC contender, or does the Mustangs' rise need a road win too?

Sources: SMU Athletics - Mustangs back at 25 in AP poll; ESPN - AP Top 25 rankings (Week 11); On3 - The Hilltop Review: Mustangs flex vs. Va. Tech; College Football Locker - Wake Forest's 77-0 reset sets up a defining SMU ACC test; NCAA.com - FBS standings.

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