The BYU Cougars are 1-0 heading into this week's contest against the SMU Mustangs, and this week will mark the first real test of the Cougars' schedule.
The Mustangs are a talented team with several players honored with preseason All-ACC accolades, and yes, this is your reminder that SMU joined the ACC last offseason along with Stanford and Cal. It's a wacky time to be a college sports fan, and I can only imagine how strange that must be for the west coast schools whose entire in-conference schedule consists entirely of east coast opponents.
...But I digress. You didn't come here to hear me ramble (at least I don't think you did?), you came here for information and I'll quit gatekeeping that precious info. Without any more delay, here's everything you need to know to watch the BYU game this weekend.
How to watch BYU vs SMU:
Game Details:
Date: Friday, September 6, 2024
Time: 5:00 PM Mountain Time
Location: Gerald J Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Odds: SMU -11
Channel: ESPN2
Sitake's crew enters this away game as a double-digit underdog, and you'll likely hear that several more times this season if all goes as expected. However, a win against this SMU team isn't out of the question at this time for several reasons.
BYU football teams tend to over-perform in the first half of the season, winning games that are mostly considered to be beyond the Cougars' capability (take Nebraska, Texas, Tennessee, or Michigan State for example). And to add more fuel to the crazy fire I'm stoking, SMU wasn't very impressive in their week zero matchup, when Nevada took the Mustangs down to the wire in a 29-24 SMU victory.
My point? The Mustangs aren't unbeatable, and I think BYU might be in the perfect position to knock them off this Friday. But then again, you can never be certain what may happen on a football field this time of year.