Rett Lashley Southern Methodist is embarking on his journey as a power for program for the first time and there's a lot of excitement around the Southern Methodist program because they were damn good last year they won the American they had us thinking that they might be that Squad in there getting into the New Year's six bowl and then they reminded us that actually they didn't care because they lost to Boston College that's not true but still you lost to Boston College and I remember watching that game going that ain't the Southern Methodist I know I realized that Preston Stone was out for that but you know it ain't like Kevin Jennings ain't nobody we we learned that in November that dude could sling it and even now we're talking about Preston Stone probably beginning the season as the number one but knowing how important it is to have a really good number two and both of those guys being Dallas area dudes but it feels like Preston Stone who got to announced that he was committing to Southern methodists on NBC at All-American Bowl when Sunny dice was still there it it that's that's your Talisman that's your guy right and I think they can get behind that and then when you look at some of the pieces he's got Jaylen Knighton Kamar weaton my goodness Kamar weaton and Jordan Hudson the offense is going to have what it needs and Rett Lashley has been one of the favorites around here at Tulsa for some time like it was touch and go there between whether that was gonna be Philip Montgomery or Rett Lashley being the head coach University of Tulsa ends up working out just fine for Lashley who has since not only become head coach Southern MTH has done a damn good job but he's brought diark king over from his time in Miami and they've been a really good Duo creating that quarterback room that is able to sustain well that's sort of a that's sort of a loss right you still go8 and0 in the American but I got them ranked right now at number 32 in my ultimate 134 for which I'm using to base a lot of these discussions that we're having right it strikes me that if they were not in the ACC I would still probably have them ranked at 32 because their schedule while difficult doesn't change what I think about them like the wind for them is eight I'm willing to take the over on that and one of those is because I expect them to stop a mud hole in Nevada and walk it dry I don't mind telling you Nevada is a 28 and a half Point Underdog in this game for a damn good reason but it also means that we expect Southern Methodist to make a statement by getting to your second string by The End by the beginning of the third quarter at a minimum you want to get guys as much of an opportunity as you can to play and to prove and if you still got some battles you want to take those things in before you figure out who you are do that now because you got Florida State on September 28th and that game feels like the one that's going to Define what your season season is actually about because as I'm looking through the rest of their schedule I'm going okay y'all got a lot here but you know what Southern Methodist fans are about it this year like they have sold out season tickets they are setting records for the amount of Interest around that program I mean you got to take it back to the Pony Express with Eric Dickerson and when before the last time that we were really talking about Southern Methodist as a national player in college football and there's not really a whole lot to to show against Nevada who I got ranked at 115th out of 134 teams Jeff CH uh Jeff Co excuse me uh coached at you know coached at Texas also coached a team to the playoffs in Montana State 2019 I'm also looking at the guy he's got back there in chuba py yes that is Brock P's little brother and also a former Florida State there's just a job there there it's a job like it's rebuild right now the over under for them on the season is two and a half it's hard to look at the Mountain West Conference and see them as a player in it but again if you can come out with a W or you can show us some life we probably feel better about moving you up in the discussion for your Mountain West Conference Championship and one of the cool things about college football playoff is the highest ranked group of five Champion is getting an automatic bid to the qual uh to the playoff you can do that if you're Nevada you just got to run the table as if that's something uh simple to do but this is going to be more about what SMU is capable of this is going to be more about what SMU ceiling might look like so if they go drop 65 on Nevada we're still going to think about them the way that we think about them now which is being a Challenger in the ACC but if they are in a two-score game Lord help them a one- score game and the fourth quarter we're going to draw conclusions from that as well I I don't think that 12 team playoff has put that away we're going to look at who you played and how you played them and that's going to matter right and then we're talking about you know playing Houston Christian before you get into the meteor schedule with Brigham Young my goodness uh Texas Christian and then you got Florida State at the house before you go into the bulk of your ACC schedule with Louisville Stanford Duke pit BC UVA and cow so for me it is can you get to October 12th undefeated because if they get to October 12th undefeated that means they beat BYU Texas chrisan and Florida State and Louisville and then the back end of your schedule is Stanford Duke pit BC UVA and Cal it's not impossible to think about southern methodists winning 11 games winning 10 games in their first year in the ACC because they really like what they have they understand who they are and what they're punching up against and I really believe that with a thousand yard back say Jaylen knon gets to that as opposed to 745 last year he's averaged 5.5 yards per carry if Kamar weaton can add a little bit more to that and if you can get some outstanding receiver play from guys like Jordan Hudson Sky's a limit for that program it really is they're in a very cool spot I'm excited for Southern Methodist football I really think that Southern Methodist football deserves its National stage and frankly it's it's brass it is not a small thing to go into the ACC and go we will forgo the television Revenue money because we know what this leap can mean for us on the next couple of years so they just got to hold up there end they got to make sure that their alumni base of about 135,000 continues to kick in they got to make sure that Gerald J Ford is no longer the quiet place that it once was that that Florida state is going to feel you when they come to town and I think that game you sell it out you you sell out to go win that football game and then you try to come back whatever you got left to beat Louisville and then you let it see where it goes right try to have to have some drop off that's the thing how deep are they going to be because that's going to be the question for everybody how deep are you can you be that guy can you be the dude that is coming off the third string and contributing in a meaningful way like I'm all in on what Southern Methodist can be and I really really really really want them to be good we'll find out for sure September 28th but on week Zero versus Nevada go drop 60 and then let everybody know what time it is now that Southern Methodist is in the ACCC