The moment SMU punched its ticket to the inaugural 12-team CFP, the fireworks didn’t stop with confetti. SMU Mustangs snagged the final playoff spot after a narrow loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship, leapfrogging over blue-blood Alabama. That single decision sent shockwaves across the sport, igniting a fiery debate between tradition and merit, pedigree and performance. And amidst those questions, HC Rhett Lashlee is steering a resurgent program straight into the national spotlight—and straight into a storm of Crimson wrath.

Rhett Lashlee, speaking on The Next Round, didn’t shy away from the moment. Nor did he entertain thoughts of jumping ship despite rising interest in his future. “The good thing is I have a big job right now,” Lashlee said when asked about potentially leaving SMU. “There’s never been a better time to be at SMU. It’s just unique. I’m fortunate to be here at the right time when, you know, we’re in the ACC. I think we go to the playoff and prove we can compete not just in the ACC but on the national level.”

Lashlee’s confidence isn’t just coachspeak—it’s grounded in infrastructure, momentum, and administrative vision. “We got a brand new facility that is as good as any in the country that we moved into last year for football,” he added. “We’re selling out our games. We do have great support. Our alignment is key at any university. It’s huge here at this time when we are winning. We’re breaking through—and now to sustain it.”

Rhett Lashlee doubled down on SMU’s trajectory, pointing to significant institutional investment: “We just welcomed on June 1st our new president, Jay Hartzell. He was the president at the University of Texas. He chose to leave there to come to SMU. I think that says a lot about the moment in time here at SMU and in Dallas.”

He’s also not just whistling past the Alabama graveyard. Lashlee is well aware that his rise is rubbing some folks the wrong way—especially in Tuscaloosa. This isn’t his first run-in with Alabama fans either. He’s felt that heat since his days as Auburn’s offensive coordinator during the iconic 2013 Iron Bowl. That was the night Chris Davis returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown as time expired.

The Kick-Six not only remains one of the greatest CFB plays of the century—it also cost Alabama a shot at the national title. For what it’s worth, it’s not the first time Alabama fans have been upset with the former Tigers OC. But if you ask Rhett Lashlee, he isn’t here to antagonize. He’s here to build. And he believes there’s no ceiling on what SMU can achieve.

“We just have a commitment to wanting to compete at the highest level, wanting to have high expectations,” he explained. “And look, we want to win a national championship. And so, you got big goals if you get here. And I’m fortunate to be at a time where we can do those things.” With the Dallas recruiting market to himself and no other Division I program within 30 miles, Lashlee sees SMU as a sleeping giant finally waking up—and with real teeth. The man many wrote off as a system coach is now writing a blueprint.

Rhett Lashlee vs. Alabama

Rhett Lashlee had mixed feelings when the CFP brackets were finally unveiled. The SMU coach believed his Mustangs had done enough to earn a postseason spot—but he wasn’t convinced it had to come at Alabama’s expense.

“Well, I felt like we deserved to be in but after we came up just short about 12 hours earlier in that ACC championship game with Clemson,” Lashlee said on the same show, “I cannot say I felt great with the way it was shaping up to be either us or Alabama, which I’m not sure that’s the way it should’ve shaped up. I think maybe we both should’ve been in.”

SMU had wrapped up its regular season with an impressive 11-1 record and a top-10 national ranking. Even with that résumé, it was a tense wait heading into Selection Sunday. But when the news finally came, Lashlee and the program felt the payoff. “Obviously, that morning when we got the news, it was really special. Pretty cool for my family, our staff, and our team,” he said.

Then came the punchline—“I kinda figured out shortly that I’m not sure if I was a more disliked person in the state of Alabama then or after the Kick-Six. Either way, we were in and I was good with it.” With tensions still simmering, could an SMU vs. Alabama showdown be on the horizon? One can only hope.