The SMU Experience
Click the video link above to see the sights from SMU and Dallas!
As always, I must start with a show of gratitude to James Henderson, Bryant Carson, and all the subscribers at Inside Pack Sports. It is humbling to be able to travel across the country for ballgames and to write or speak to a fanbase that is as fervent as the NC State Wolfpack has.
I was heading to Fort Worth, Texas to cover NCSU women’s basketball in its Sunday contest at TCU. It occurred to me that there would be plenty to do in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, so I went for a somewhat extended stay.
Seeing that SMU was in town to play a football game that same weekend (NC State football is on a bye), I approached the Mustangs SIDs while in Charlotte and explained what I wanted to do. They were extremely hospitable and kind enough to issue me a credential for the game against Boston College.
SMU is not currently scheduled to host NC State in football until 2029, but the women’s basketball team will visit the Mustangs in March, and it will not take nearly as long for the Wolfpack to tangle with the Ponies in men’s basketball. That will almost certainly happen in 2026.
NC State basketball fans have a great idea of what it takes to get there and what there is to do in Dallas as it has only been less than eight months since the Wolfpack thrashed Duke in Texas to reach the Final Four. There is plenty of time to prep for the next visit to the Dallas area when NCSU is heading to town.
Flying To, Settling In
At this point, flights to Dallas are as cheap as driving to the mountains or beach from the Triangle. With airlines like Frontier, you can get to Dallas and back for less than 200 dollars – with seat and bag upgrades. If you choose bigger airlines, 300 dollars should do it if you are not booking at the last minute.
With a visit to Dallas comes the decision of transportation. There are not many places in the United States that have the number of toll roads as Texas—perhaps none. It might behoove a traveler to just use Lyft or Uber to travel around the area, and that is what I ultimately did this time.
I would rate traveling by vehicle as the most expensive endeavor for a traveler visiting Texas and Dallas in particular.
The hotel spot will be vital. Whether driving or paying to ride, put yourself in a spot close to the activities or places that you know you will be interested in.
What To Do
As a history buff, I made sure to get to Dealey Plaza. I took the tour of the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald was found to have assassinated the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy Jr., and it had great artifacts. I was particularly taken by the River of Time, where folks can take a ribbon and write in remembrance of a loved one or friend who has passed away. I dedicated three in all. One for both of my grandmothers and another for my oldest uncle. I was surprised at how emotional and cathartic it was.
I then walked over to the Reunion Tower. I tried my best to conjure up the courage to go to the top, but I have a morbid fear of heights so going on the observation deck was deemed too scary. I refuse to pay for the privilege of vomiting in front of strangers in public.
From there I visited a few other places, including Southfork Ranch from the Dallas television show. I did not spend much time at any of them, however, because I blundered my way into something else.
It turned out that Mike Tyson was scheduled to fight in Dallas on Friday. His bout against Jake Paul was at AT&T Stadium in Arlington – the home of the Dallas Cowboys – and after plenty of internal debate, I decided to attend. The ticket was 40 dollars and the Lyft to and from Arlington ran me about 80 bucks.
Going in, I knew at 58 years old that Tyson was gassed but I figured 120 dollars would not break me and it was a chance to do something I had always wanted to do, which is watch one of the great boxers of my era in person. I came close to seeing Evander Holyfield defend his heavyweight title in Madison Square Garden once, but the cancellation of that fight squashed the dream. Tyson will do fine I suppose, and I credit him for working himself to a point where he could do what he did at almost 60.
You only live once.
I returned to Arlington on Monday for the Dallas Cowboys game (against the Houston Texans). Monday Night Football in person. That was quite cool. I could hear Howard Cosell and the Monday Night Football theme in my head as I entered the stadium. There is no feeling like visiting places you have only seen on television.
Overall, I think I got a lot done. When NC State returns to Dallas for women’s basketball I plan on going to see the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars in person, along with visiting some other places.
The criteria I always use for if I like a place is if a job opened would I be willing to live there? I think the Dallas/Fort Worth area is a place I could reside happily if the chance ever presented itself. I’d have to wrap my head around those highway tolls though.
There is enough to do, and all the major sports are covered. The airport directly connects to most places. Dallas checks a lot of boxes.
Final Thoughts
It was a close game, but SMU rallied to win, 38-28, over Boston College at Ford Stadium. They are now ranked 12th in the nation, are 10-1 overall, and 7-0 in the ACC. The Mustangs clinched a berth in the ACC Championship Game with a win at Virginia on Saturday.
Schematically, I like what the Mustangs do on offense. They find their dudes and get them the ball where they can make plays – and more often than not they make those plays. I won’t go any further into that or relate it to any other teams.
Defensively, SMU is not elite. They will give up points but they also have a winner’s tendency in that they get stops when it is absolutely necessary. The Mustangs aspire to be champions and those are the type of teams that usually find a way.
In simplest terms, SMU controls its destiny for its upcoming appearance in the ACC Championship Game and a potential berth in the College Football Playoffs. If they win out, they are conference champions who will then play for the right to claim a national title.
SMU competing for an ACC title in football in 2024 is a surprise, but if you thought the Mustangs were willing to forfeit the right to earn so much money just to go 6-6 and play in Fenway Bowls while participating in a major conference then you were only kidding yourself.
A program with a history of elite football when affiliated with major conferences, with a fanbase and donor list that lights cigars with 20-dollar bills, in the fourth-largest city in the United States, and is located in a state with 60 million dollar high school football facilities was always going to be a factor once they joined the ACC this past summer. The Mustangs did not pony up (no pun intended) just to be average.
I envision SMU being a factor for years to come, and I was told (I have not seen any plans) that the athletic department is about to invest heavily in the next upgrade of Ford Stadium, which was renovated recently. The aim is to win national titles in football and be one of the best athletic departments in the nation.
Just as SMU’s death penalty in football during the mid-1980s probably trickled down to the rest of the athletic department, the free-spending and heavy investment likely will end up aiding its other sports. Expect the Mustangs to be upper echelon in both men’s and women’s basketball sooner than later. Be grateful that they don’t have a baseball team. If they decide to start that program, expect it to rise as quickly as softball did at Duke.
I’d love to see SMU have a local in-state rival within the ACC, especially if could come from the Dallas or Houston area, but I would not hold my breath at this point. I do think the poaching of the Big East years ago is a blueprint the ACC could follow soon. I don’t think the ACC or Big 12 individually could catch the Big 10 or SEC anytime soon but picking apart schools from the Big 12 could be how the ACC catches up, or vice-versa.
Either way, while I am wistful in remembering the old ACC, I try to also be practical about the present and the future. That ship has sailed, and I do like having SMU and Dallas in the league. Whether the conference expands further or stays where it is, I am happy to know that it will likely survive for at least 10 more years.
Special thanks to SMU’s SID department for credentialing me for Saturday’s home game for the Mustangs, which helped me provide insight into the university and its athletic department.