Often throughout its colorful and sometimes controversial history, SMU has generated headlines. In that regard, this past offseason felt a bit familiar in Dallas, as the Mustangs were getting plenty of attention for matters other than the actual games on this field, only this time it had nothing to do with another NCAA death penalty as was the case in the late '80s. Rather, it revolved around a supposed courtship with the Pac-12, which has been rumored to be looking for a couple of replacements for USC and UCLA, soon departing to the Big 12. Mentioned prominently have been San Diego State, which seems a rather natural fit... and SMU, ostensibly because of its presence in the Metroplex. As Jerry Jones and others can tell you, there are sometimes some nice benefits to being in Dallas; rest assured the Mustangs wouldn't be generating this type of interest if they were based in Nacogdoches.  Stay tuned for further developments...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of SMU's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the AAC season.

AAC preview: Conference winner | Charlotte | East Carolina | Florida Atlantic | Memphis | Navy | North Texas | Rice | SMU | South Florida | Temple | Tulane | Tulsa | UAB | UTSA

2023 SMU at a glance

• Last Year: 7-6 SU, 5-8 ATS, 5-8 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 6; Defense 6
• Win total: 8.5 (Over -125, Under +105)

What do you need to know about SMU before locking in your AAC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see AAC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!