After seven games in the 2014 season, the SMU Mustangs remain as the only winless team in the entire FBS. They have been dreadful on both sides of the ball, allowing opponents to score 48 points per game while scoring just 49 total points themselves throughout the year.
Though Tom Mason’s team appeared to be headed in the right direction after a surprising performance against East Carolina, SMU has taken a step back after blowout losses to Cincinnati and Memphis. As the calendar turns to November, time is running out for the Mustangs to pick up a victory and avoid becoming the fourth team in school history to finish a season without a single win.
So, as SMU heads into a bye week, let’s rank each of its remaining five games, from most difficult to “easiest”.
5. November 22: at UCF
Despite losing quarterback Blake Bortles to the NFL, the Knights are once again contending in the AAC. UCF is tied atop the conference standings with ECU at 3-0, with its only two losses of the season coming against Penn State and Missouri in non-conference play. Led by standout middle linebacker Terrance Plummer, the UCF defense has been stellar this year, giving up just 19.1 points per game. The Knights will, in all likelihood, still be contending for a conference title in late November, so it’s really hard to imagine them losing at home to the Mustangs.
4. November 28: vs. Houston
After a shaky 2-3 start to the season, the Cougars have righted the ship with a pair of solid wins against Memphis and Temple in their last two games. While the offense may not be prolific, Tony Levine’s team is surrendering just 17.9 points per game and has forced 23 turnovers this year, the third-most in the FBS. And now, the Houston offense appears to be trending upward under quarterback Greg Ward Jr. Ward, who replaced the inconsistent John O’Korn, has ran for three touchdowns and ran for another in his two starts. With the Cougars on the rise, it would take a major upset for SMU to beat them.
3. November 15: vs. South Florida
The South Florida Bulls have been fairly mediocre in head coach Willie Taggart’s second season, and are a team that the Mustangs might have an outside chance of beating. Both their passing and rushing attacks are pretty dismal, ranking 102nd and 109th in the FBS, respectively, and the Bulls are allowing opponents to score 29.6 points per game. However, freshman running back Marlon Mack does lead the AAC in rushing yards (781) and touchdowns (8), and could put up big numbers against an SMU defense that gives up 240 yards on the ground per game. While the Mustangs could keep this game close, pulling off a win might be tough.
2. November 8: at Tulsa
Now, we’re getting into the games that SMU has a legitimate chance of winning. The Mustangs’ next game will be on the road against the Golden Hurricane, who have lost six straight games after opening the season with a double-overtime victory over Tulane. Tulsa does boast a respectable passing attack, with wide receiver Keevan Lucas leading the conference in receptions (64), receiving yards (809), and receiving touchdowns (8). However, the defense has been horrendous, allowing 40.7 points per game. SMU has a bye week to prepare for this game, and things could become really interesting if they are able to get anything going on offense.
1. December 6: at UConn
At last, we arrive to the one team whose futility is in the same ballpark as SMU’s. The Mustangs and Huskies will close out the regular season in a match-up between the AAC’s two worst teams. Bob Diaco’s first season in East Hartford has been rough, with UConn’s lone win coming by three points against FCS opponent Stony Brook. The Huskies have the second-worst scoring offense in the country (SMU, of course, has the worst), scoring just 14 points per game. They also generate only 276.3 yards of total offense per contest, fourth-worst in the FBS. The Mustangs could certainly be 0-11 entering this game, but this is undoubtedly their best chance at getting in the win column in 2014.
First team to reach double-digits wins.
Edited By: Ali Balchunas
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