After a euphoric Saturday night, gut-wrenching news was delivered to SMU Mustangs’ faithful Sunday afternoon.
SMU stormed into New Orleans and defeated Tulane 26-14 in the AAC Championship Game, knocking off the defending Cotton Bowl champions to improve to 11-2 on the season. The Mustangs rode a 9-game win streak into the postseason, refusing to trail once in the second half while dominating the AAC.
Once SMU took care of business in the Big Easy, it anxiously waited Sunday as the remainder of its season was in the hands of the College Football Playoff committee. There were expectations of a New Year’s Six bid, an honor which belonged to the AAC champion every season from 2017-22.