SMU’s ACC credentials face test against Florida State

No. 19 SMU is scheduled to visit unranked Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Monday night, closing college football’s opening week with an ACC matchup.

Florida State opened the 2026 season with a 34–17 win over New Mexico State, but failed to cover a 31.5-point spread. The result did little to ease scrutiny on coach Mike Norvell, with CBS Sports noting that the Seminoles have gone 7–18 overall, including three ACC wins, across their previous 25 games.

That downturn followed quarterback Jordan Travis’s injury in the 2023 ACC Championship Game and included a 63–3 loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl, according to CBS Sports. Reports about Norvell’s future and the financial consequences of a potential dismissal remain unconfirmed.

SMU arrives with a stronger conference record since joining the ACC in 2024, having gone 14–2 in league play. The Mustangs also won nine games in 2025 and are led by quarterback Kevin Jennings, while running back Kendrick Raphael has joined the programme after leading Cal in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns last season.

SMU won the teams’ only previous meeting, beating Florida State 42–16 in 2024. The Mustangs are listed as a narrow favourite in the supplied betting reports, although the quoted line varies and may change. A SportsLine model cited by CBS Sports projects Florida State to win by one point in a relatively low-scoring game.