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SMU coach Rhett Lashlee made some bold remarks about the Southeastern Conference at his team's ACC media days on Tuesday. Lashlee called the SEC a top-heavy league, while saying that he was bullish on the ACC.
Only a day after Lashlee's comments at the media days, SEC analyst Paul Finebaum hit back at the SMU coach.
“Do you know what happened at SMU? They shut the program down," Finebaum said on ESPN's "Get Up" on Wednesday. "While he (Lashlee) is making fun of the SEC for winning national championships all over the place. SMU is the most corrupt program in the history of college football.
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"Rhett Lashlee has the nerve to get up there and throw stones? By the way, he played at Arkansas. That should have nothing to do with it. That was one of the most comically embarrassing rants I have heard and I am glad the audio wasn’t clear because I would have come right through that screen.”
Last season, SMU advanced to the 12-team College Football Playoff ahead of several top SEC teams, including Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss. However, the Mustangs were defeated by Penn State in the first round of the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see if Lashlee's team can advance to the CFP again in the upcoming season.
Rhett Lashlee heaps praise on Dabo Swinney's Clemson heading into 2025 season
At the ACC media days, Lashlee stated that Dabo Swinney's Clemson team was the best in the conference.
“The biggest thing is, we’re facing Dabo Swinney,” Lashlee admitted. “I mean, he’s the patriarch of ACC football, and I have tons of respect for him. He’s actually become, in this league, someone I really respect. I don’t know if we have friends as coaches, but I really respect him, and we talk often. He reminds me that they beat us.”
Lashlee's Mustangs lost to Clemson in the ACC title game. SMU is expected to be in the mix for the conference title next season as well.
In the 2025 season, SMU will face Clemson on Oct. 18.
