College football trick or treat: 10 biggest surprises and flops of 2019

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DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 05: SMU Mustangs head coach Sonny Dykes looks on from the sideline during the college football game between the SMU Mustangs and Tulsa Golden Hurricane on October 05, 2019, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Treat – SMU

SMU has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season so far. The Mustangs is 8-0 and ranked for the first time since the program received the “death penalty” in 1987. They have a real shot at a New Year’s Six bowl bid if they win out, as they would boast an undefeated season in a very tough American Athletic Conference, a win over TCU, and a top-10 offense.

Second-year head coach Sonny Dykes brought a reputation for being able to develop young quarterbacks. He worked with Jared Goff at Cal and Nick Foles at Arizona before coming to Dallas, and his expertise is already paying dividends. Ex-Longhorns quarterback Shane Buechele has led SMU’s offense to over 500 yards per game and 43 points per game. Buechele himself ranks inside the top ten in passing yards per game passing touchdowns per game.

Dykes has made SMU an easy place to come home for players from Texas that didn’t work out elsewhere. The Mustangs are fielding 19 transfers this season, many of them originally from the Lone Star State. Dykes is also focused on keeping recruits from Dallas in Dallas, saying “Our No. 1 thing was that we’ve got to become synonymous with Dallas,” Dykes said. “When you think Dallas, Texas, you need to think of SMU. When you think of SMU, you need to think of Dallas.” It’s a smart strategy that worked for Howard Schnellenberger in Miami, but can it work in Texas? The experiment is off to a great start, and the Mustangs are already popping bottles to celebrate.

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