SMU announced on Thursday, Feb. 12, that its home football games scheduled against TheUniversity of Oklahoma in 2027 and Louisiana State University in 2029 will be played in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.
During the Pony Express era, SMU shared Texas Stadium with the Dallas Cowboys, playing all home games there from 1979-1986. In a statement released by SMU Athletics, Athletic Director Damon Evans said the decision was meant to reflect SMU’s storied history and its ascension back into the national limelight.
“Playing Oklahoma in 2027 and LSU in 2029 at AT&T Stadium reflects both where SMU Football has been and where it is going,” Evans stated. “These games evoke our historic presence on the national stage, including the Pony Express era, while delivering meaningful opportunities for revenue generation, brand visibility, and partner engagement in direct support of the vision of Mustang Partners and our continued growth in the ACC.”
Revenue generation is a key aspect of the decision. Marquee matchups against SEC schools like OU and LSU, which have large fanbases in the DFW area, will draw crowds far greater than Gerald J. Ford Stadium’s capacity crowd of 32,000. AT&T Stadium’s standard seating options offer 80,000 seats alone.
Reactions from students and fans online have been mixed. Many comments on SMU Football’s original post on X condemn the move for diminishing SMU’s home field advantage and on-campus atmosphere.
“This is so lame. Build excitement at Ford and embrace how small the stadium is. No one wants to watch a game in Arlington,” X user Luke Nolan said.
Others pointed out that the neutral stadium would allow for bigger crowds of OU and LSU fans to take over the game.
“Horrible, horrible decision. These just became away games with a hostile crowd for SMU,” X user Daniel Cooper said.
Alumni such as former SMU and NFL offensive lineman Hayden Howerton took to Instagram to share their disapproval as well.
“A chance for electric home games moved off campus to accommodate the SEC once again,” Howerton said via Instagram.
Students on campus shared similar sentiments. Senior Rishul Rai said going to the Boulevard and home games was a big part of campus culture.
“This decision definitely shocked me when I first heard about it,” Rai said. “I think me personally, and probably some of my friends, would prefer to have it at SMU against such big schools.”
According to Google Maps, the driving distance between Gerald J. Ford Stadium and AT&T Stadium is 22.7 miles. Without traffic, the travel time is estimated to be approximately 30 minutes. Freshman Jack Shannon said that although he didn’t think it was a best-case scenario, he would still travel to the games.
“[The move] is not ideal, if they’re coming to Texas,” Shannon said. “I mean, Oklahoma’s coming to Texas, so it might as well be on our home turf.”
On the other hand, Leticia Laranjeira, a senior psychology major, said that games in AT&T Stadium sounded exciting.
“I think it brings good visibility to SMU,” Laranjeira said. “I do think they should still find a way of providing, at least for undergrad, free tickets. It would be a cool experience.”
Professor Peter J. Carton, the director of the SMU Sport Management program, said the move could provide opportunities for the players and grow SMU’s connection to Dallas.
“The landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, placing greater emphasis on access, exposure and community connection,” Carton said in an email. “Games of this magnitude in venues like AT&T Stadium illustrate how programs can expand opportunities for student-athletes while engaging the broader DFW region in meaningful ways.”
Ticket and game time details will be shared later, according to the press release.
