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Sports news SMU and Louisville square off in a video game with significant ACC title race ramifications
Sep 18, 2026
at 12:14 pm ET
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4 minutes checked out
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It's rarely that a person of the <span>greatest conference video games of the year</span> is your conference opener, however that's the scenario for No. 23 Louisville as it hosts No. 16 SMU in a top-25 fight that will set the phase for the remainder of the ACC title race.
SMU and Louisville have actually each bet the ACC Championship in the last 3 years and went into the 2026 season as 2 of the leading competitors to challenge Miami for league supremacy. Neither SMU nor Louisville are set up to play Miami in the routine season this year.
That suggests if either is going to beat the Hurricanes, it’ll need to occur in Charlotte in the ACC Championship Game, and if Miami exists, just one area will be up for grabs. That area, possibly, might be hanging in the balance on Saturday afternoon in Louisville.
The Mustangs show up with a 2-0 record and one conference win visited the standings after lasting longer than a power failure and some careless play to beat Florida State in Tallahassee in Week 1. They backed that win up with a triumph over UC Davis that was highlighted by Kevin Jennings tossing for 337 backyards and 5 goals in one half of action, getting a video game’s worth of operate in before letting the backups liquidate the 56-10 triumph. This will be Jennings’ 3rd time dealing with Louisville as SMU’s starter, and he’s seeking to protect not just the Mustangs’ unbeaten status in ACC play however likewise his 2-0 record versus the Cards.
Sports news SMU vs. Louisville: Need to understand
Rhett Lashlee is 2-0 versus Jeff Brohm as ACC opponents:2 years earlier, SMU concerned Louisville and provided a squashing 34-27 loss in a video game where the Cards’ efforts to storm back from a double-digit halftime deficit were rejected. The Mustangs broke a fourth-quarter tie with an 11-play, 89-yard drive that showed to consist of the game-winning rating. That win belonged to the Mustangs’ arrival not simply as an ACC member however a league competitor. Rhett Lashlee’s team is 15-2 in conference video games because signing up with the league. Last season supplied yet another win for Lashlee over the Cards, as SMU hosted a hobbled Louisville group that was missing its beginning quarterback and leading 2 running backs. That 38-6 win was much less significant in regards to video game strength, however the loss did mark 3 straight conference losses for Jeff Brohm and concluded the worst ACC record (4-4) given that he took control of at his university. Lashlee and Brohm are routinely thought about amongst the ACC’s finest coaches, however the on-field competitors in between the 2 is presently slanted in SMU’s favor with 2 wins in the last 2 years.
Lincoln Kienholz has raised Louisville’s offense:The Ohio State transfer has actually shown to be a best fit with Jeff Brohm, tossing for a minimum of 300 backyards in both video games and amounting to 7 goals (4 death, 3 hurrying) with no interceptions. He’s the group’s 2nd leading rush in taped efforts (20) and team-leader in hurrying backyards (111) heading into Week 3, and his flexibility has actually caused much more playmaking chances with more experience. After amounting to simply 6 points in the very first half versus Ole Miss, Louisville has actually logged 91 points in the following 6 quarters. Kienholz has actually showcased fantastic chemistry with fellow portal additions Tre Richardsonand Lawayne McCoyputting them in position for success with numerous 50-plus backyard goal passes.
Kevin Jennings amongst ACC’s finest:Kienholz is an emerging star, Jennings just continues to construct on his tradition as one of the SMU greats as he tries to enhance on his 21-7 record as the Mustangs’ starter. He’s the ACC active leader in profession passing backyards (8,476) and profession overall lawns (9,072) while ranking very first nationally through 2 video games in backyards per effort (14.8) and 2nd nationally in backyards per video game (383.5 ). SMU assembled a relatively aggressive push behind Jennings for the Heisman Trophy discussion, therefore far, he’s backed it up. Saturday, nevertheless, might represent Jennings’ finest opportunity at a Heisman minute.
Sports news How to enjoy SMU vs. Louisville live
Date: Saturday, Sept. 19|Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Place: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium– Louisville, Kentucky
TELEVISION: ESPN2 |Live stream:Fubo(Try for totally free)
Sports news SMU vs. Louisville forecast, chooses
This is the back-against-the-wall area where the Louisville coach requires to measure up to the “Big Game Brohm” name that followed him from his days at Purdue. All 3 seasons have actually consisted of a minimum of one signature win, beating Notre Dame in the house in 2023, falling Clemson in Death Valley in 2024 and knocking off then-No. 2 Miami last season. The method the schedule broke this year, Louisville has all of its huge video games in September. After losing to Ole Miss, the focus needs to be on getting this big ACC win. Include 2 straight losses to SMU and 2 years of being outside the ACC title video game, and this is as must-win as it gets in Week 3.Choose: Louisville -1.5
SportsLine’s tested computer systemdesign has simulated each week 3 college football video game 10,000 times. Check out SportsLine now to see the choicesall from the design that’s on a 33-21 operate on premier CFB money-line selects because the 2024 season.
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