It appears that SMU won’t be heading to the Big 12 in the near future but at the pace the Mustangs are going, it won’t be long before they’re included in talks regarding conference shifts. The Mustangs rank No. 28 nationally in the latest NCSA collegiate power rankings – that’s No. 1 in all of Texas.
To get a school’s power ranking, the NCSA combines reports from Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup (strength of NCAA athletics departments), U.S. News & World Report (academic excellence) and the student-athlete graduation rates from the NCAA.
SMU’s final power ranking was 68.67, which actually put the Mustangs in a tie with the University of Florida. SMU’s academic rank was 56; it’s athletic rank was 62; it’s NCAA graduation rate was 88. SMU’s ranking is among all Division I schools. In the overall rankings, the Mustangs are actually No. 50.
The number one overall school in the NCSA rankings is a Division III school named Amherst College. The number one Division I school is Duke University. SMU is not just the number one Texas school in the rankings; it is also the only Texas school in the top 100, even among only Division I schools.
Several SMU teams will be playing this weekend. The women’s soccer team will play the UCF Knights at home on Friday and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Sunday. The SMU football team, currently on a two-game winning streak, will travel to Tennessee to take on the Memphis Tigers on Saturday.