SMU wins first conference title since 1984... with a backup redshirt freshman QB

NEW ORLEANS -- The Pony Express derailed with the NCAA's Death Penalty in the late 1980s. SMU's 26-14 win over Tulane on Saturday punctuated four decades of repairs necessary for a conference championship to reside on the Hilltop again.

After the game, SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee spoke on how hard it is to erect a true team mentality in college football's current NIL and transfer portal landscape. Yet SMU fostered that uncommon team character on a squad built by the transfer portal and a program ascending to the Power Five behind donor backing. Over 65 of the current SMU players weren't on the roster when Lashlee took over just two years ago.