Why SMU’s ACC Move was the Right Call

It’s no secret that college football has changed rapidly over the last decade, and those changes

are only accelerating. Starting in 2026, Division I FBS football teams in Texas will be split

among seven different conferences. Texas schools will be competing in the PAC-12, ACC,

Mountain West, SEC, Big 12, AAC, and Conference USA. Conference realignment has not only

destroyed regional rivalries but also significantly increased travel times and expenses. SMU

athletes now have to fly to Massachusetts and New York for away games, rather than driving to

Houston or Denton. While SMU has gained national media exposure, it has lost the ease of travel

and the excitement of regional matchups that students and fans could look forward to attending.

SMU had the opportunity to boost its national recognition by joining the ACC, and

understandably, it took it; but now, SMU is the lone Texas team in its conference, and its nearest

rival is 800 miles away.

SMU had much to gain from joining the ACC: a return to power conference sports for the first

time in nearly 40 years; competition against schools with larger national footprints; and a

stronger presence as Dallas–Fort Worth’s premier private university. While the university has

long maintained a strong foothold in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, it has steadily expanded its

influence and visibility, emerging as one of the more prominent universities in Texas. Recently,

SMU has positioned itself at the top alongside the University of Texas, Texas A&M, and Baylor.

Joining the ACC was the move that helped put SMU more consistently on top-100 university

lists and has propelled the athletics program onto the national stage.

Despite these gains, SMU lost its regional competitors in collegiate sports when it left the

American Athletic Conference. Schools like UNT, Rice, Tulsa, Memphis, and Tulane were close

in both geography and competitive level. About half of SMU’s opponents were within driving

distance. Now, in the ACC, the nearest competitor to SMU is 788 miles–about a twelve-hour

drive away from campus. Students have lost the ability to drive to away games to support their

college, and it's not just students who are impacted by the increased travel distance. SMU’s large

Dallas-based alumni base is now forced to fly to away games, and the additional distance

definitely affects the number of fans who attend away games.

With the increased travel distances and lack of regional opponents, one might ask: “What if

SMU were in the Big 12?” Regionally, it makes more sense. Texas schools like TCU, Baylor,

and Texas Tech could have strengthened in-state rivalries, and SMU would also have reunited

with Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF–schools it previously competed against in the American.

However, the Big 12 is often viewed as the weakest link among the “Power Four” conferences.

The conference has many weak teams that drag it down, and it lacks any true powerhouse

schools. If SMU had joined the Big 12, it would have faced less consistent top-tier competition

than in the ACC. So far, SMU has proven itself as a major competitor within the top tier of the

ACC, both in football and basketball. Joining the Big 12 would have given SMU less competition than that of the ACC, both athletically and academically.

SMU made the right move in joining the ACC. The athletics department has delivered great results: a CFP appearance, a volleyball tournament appearance, a men’s soccer conference championship, and the men’s basketball team is on pace for a tournament appearance as well. What SMU sacrificed in regional accessibility, it gained in a conference full of academic and athletic powerhouses that more closely align with its institutional vision. The American Athletic Conference was another stepping stone in bringing back the Pony Express, and unfortunately for them, SMU outgrew its regional competition.