Best Case/Worst Case in 2016: SMU Mustangs

[caption id="attachment_24921" align="alignright" width="350"]DSC08864 SMU QB Matt Davis (Photo by Jerome Hicks)[/caption] Will this season be a dream or a nightmare for your favorite FBS program in the state of Texas? In this series, we take a look at the best and worst case scenarios for all 12 teams. SMU 2015 Record: 2-10Best Case It won’t be long before Chad Morris and SMU are humming offensively. To win more than two games in 2016, the offense needs to put up points. The talent is there with Matt Davis spearheading the attack at quarterback. The sophomore duo of Xavier Jones and Braedon West give the Mustangs versatility, while the wide receiver position, led by Courtland Sutton, might be the most talented and deepest position on the team. The offensive line is a question mark, but the left side of the line should be much improved. That leaves the defense. The Mustangs don’t need to be the 2015-16 Broncos on that side of the ball, but they must improve. In all 10 losses last season, SMU allowed at least 38 points. Opponents scored over 45 points seven times. An improvement on defense gives SMU a chance at a bowl berth. SMU has winnable games against North Texas, Liberty and Tulane. Games against TCU, Baylor and Houston seem like stretches even to the wildest of dreamers. That leaves three wins needed from contests against Temple, Tulsa, Tulane, East Carolina, South Florida and Memphis. A .500 record in those matchups gives Morris the momentum he needs at SMU, something well above that would be a stratospheric leap as a program. Unlikely, sure, but not completely out of the question. Worst Case There is hardly room for slippage. SMU has everywhere to go but down under Morris and a worst case scenario is static energy around the program. If SMU can’t show signs of improvements in year two of the Morris regime, the excitement around the program begins to dwindle, which is tough since SMU shares a conference with the meteor known as the Houston Cougars. The pressure of keeping up with a conference rival in the state is real, but no one is expecting SMU to battle the Cougars at the top of the conference...yet. The worst case scenario is a winless season, and a loss against Liberty would sound alarms that seem impossible to foresee.

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