CHARLOTTE — It might take time to adjust to Stanford, California, and Southern Methodist’s presence in ACC football, but the three new conference newcomers have been up to the challenge during the first month of the 2024 season.
Through four weeks, the Stanford Cardinals (2-1, 1-0 ACC), Cal Golden Bears (3-1, 0-1 ACC), and SMU Mustangs (3-1) have combined for a 8-3 record so far this season (.727 winning percentage) providing the expanded 17-team ACC with a fresh group of competitive programs.
In a conference made up of an original cast of teams now supplanted by four groups of expansion teams, the latest additions have not dragged down the overall output of the ACC this fall.
By comparison, the teams around from the earliest days of the ACC (Virginia, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, Clemson) are currently 15-7 (.682), the 1980 and 1990s expansion teams (Georgia Tech, Florida State) are 4-5 (.444), the 2000s expansion teams (Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech) are 9-3 (.750), and the 2010s expansion teams (Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Louisville) are 9-1 (.900).
This past weekend, the Cardinals kicked off conference play with a 26-24 road win over Syracuse (2-1, 1-1 ACC), taking the final 3:13 off the clock with an 11-play, 54-yard drive that led to a 39-yard walk-off field goal by kicker Emmet Kenney.
After the game, Stanford head coach Troy Taylor revealed the matchup’s result was exactly how he drew it up.
“I said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna drive down, we’re gonna spot the ball in the middle of the field, and we’re gonna kick a field goal and get out of here.’ And obviously we were able to do that,” Taylor said. “I’ve never been around a group of student-athletes with this much character and resiliency. Never doubt that, they’re always up for the task. So I think you got a good look at that — that our guys just don’t quit. They’re talented and hungry for more.”
Led by dual-threat junior quarterback Ashton Daniels, the Cardinals opened the season with a 34-27 home loss to TCU (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) but have bounced back with a 41-7 home win over Cal Poly (1-2, 0-0 Big Sky) and their recent two-point win over the Orange.
Stanford is set to travel to No. 17 Clemson (2-1, 1-0 ACC) this weekend.
While the Cardinals were able to secure a win in their ACC debut in Week 4, the Cal Golden Bears weren’t as fortunate, falling 14-9 in a defensive standoff at Florida State (1-3, 1-2 ACC); the Seminoles notched their first win of the season as they thwarted a 3-0 Cal team that racked up 422 yards of offense but only nine points.
Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza was sacked seven times in the loss.
“We had plenty of opportunities,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “We did not capitalize on it. They did. We have to find ways to score points. Nine’s not enough. I don’t care who you’re playing.”
Cal is now 0-7 against multi-loss, winless opponents in the Justin Wilcox era, dating back to a 2018 loss to a 0-5 UCLA team.
Prior to the loss, the Bears had garnered a 31-13 home win over UC Davis (3-1), followed by a 21-14 road win over Auburn (2-2, 0-1 SEC) and a 31-10 home win over San Diego State (1-2).
The team will now prepare to host No. 7 Miami (4-0) in the Hurricanes’ conference opener.
Over in Dallas, TX, on Saturday night, head coach Rhett Lashlee and SMU team trampled TCU (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) in a 66-42 home victory that marked the 103rd meeting between two Texas programs.
The Mustangs managed to score 17 points in the final 1:28 of the first half for a 41-21 lead, marking the most points they had ever scored in a half against the Horned Frogs.
Adding to SMU’s high point total, the Mustangs’ running game generated 238 yards as the team also recorded three non-offensive touchdowns.
“To win from the first play to the last play, we needed to leave no doubt that we were the most physical team on the field,” Lashlee said after the game. “That was literally our only thought process coming into the game — on offense, defense, special teams — and credit to our guys for carrying it out.”
The Mustangs opened the 2024 campaign with a 29-24 road win over Nevada, a 59-7 home win over Houston Christian, and a 18-15 home loss to BYU. SMU will now play its inaugural ACC matchup as it hosts a rejuvenated Florida State team that just knocked off the Golden Bears.
