Based solely on previous results this season, Florida State appears to be the weakest opponent SMU has faced all year.

The Seminoles are 1-3, with all three losses coming to unranked teams. They haven’t scored more than 21 points this season, and the offense has struggled, particularly in the last three weeks, failing to top the 14-point mark.

Despite Florida State’s disappointing start, Rhett Lashlee and his players at SMU view their first ACC opponent as their most dangerous yet just months after being canceled by the College Football Playoff selection committee.

“Sometimes the scariest teams are the ones that have so much talent and they just haven’t gotten it right yet,” Lashlee said. “Nobody missed preseason projections in terms of talent.”

SMU’s conference opener on Saturday evening looks different than it did before the season began. The Mustangs now enter the race as 5.5-point favorites – a big jump from when Florida State was ranked No. 10 in the nation earlier in the season.

But the rising expectations for the Mustangs — and the lack of expectations for the Seminoles based on their past results — worry Lashlee and his players.

Just because Florida State lost three games doesn’t mean the Seminoles won’t still send several players to the NFL. Florida State’s defense is still elite, and the losses don’t change the fact that the team’s starting quarterback was a former five-star recruit.

“It’s a really good Florida State team and obviously the gold standard of this league for a long time,” Lashlee said. “I can say with some certainty that in my time here, this is without question the most athletic and fastest team we have ever played against.”

SMU’s offensive players say they completely ignored Florida State’s past record because they could have won those games based on how their defense performed over the last three weeks.

“Their defense has played well the last few games,” SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings said. “They didn’t really lose sight of many points but held their own.”

When it comes to SMU’s defense, it’s not about dwelling on the outside noise, which is why they are considered a strong favorite. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei may only have two touchdowns and three interceptions this season, but the former Clemson quarterback is battle-tested in the ACC, coming off three consecutive 2,000-yard passing seasons and consecutive seasons with 20-plus touchdown passes.

“He is a leader. He’s a winner,” Lashlee said of Uiagalelei. “There’s a reason they stay with him because they know they can turn things around and be the best version of themselves with him.”

Florida State finally prevailed with a narrow 14-9 win over Cal last week. SMU knows the program is far from reaching its full potential.

Even as favorites, the Mustangs channel an underdog mentality as a conference newcomer facing their reigning champion.

“It’s just a matter of time before everything works out,” Lashlee said. “They’ve gained some momentum, so those are the scariest and most dangerous ones to look at, because in perception people think, ‘Oh, they’re in trouble.’ There’s a lot of talent there.”

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