1982 SMU Mustangs football team

1982 SMU Mustangs football
Helms Poll National Champions Cotton Bowl Classic Champions Southwest Conference Champions
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 7–3 vs. Pittsburgh
Conference	Southwest Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#2
AP	#2
1982 record	11–0–1 (7–0–1 SWC)
Head coach	Bobby Collins
Home stadium	Texas Stadium

1982 Southwest Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#2 SMU $	7	–	0	–	1			11	–	0	–	1
#17 Texas	7	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
#9 Arkansas	5	–	2	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
Houston	4	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Baylor	3	–	4	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Texas A&M	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Texas Tech	3	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
TCU	2	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Rice	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1982 SMU Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1982 college football season. It was the first year for the team under head coach Bobby Collins and the Mustangs finished undefeated at 11–0–1. However, the tie in their final game against Arkansas caused the voters in the Associated Press poll to drop SMU out of the #2 spot in their ranking, possibly costing the Mustangs the national championship in the wire-service polls when Penn State defeated top-ranked Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Penn State had inherited the No. 2 ranking when SMU tied Arkansas, and went on to win the AP and coaches' polls after their victory over Georgia despite a slightly less impressive final record of 11–1.

As Southwest Conference champions, the Mustangs earned an automatic bid to the Cotton Bowl, where they defeated #6 Pittsburgh 7–3 in what was the final college football game for the "Pony Express" running back tandem of Eric Dickerson and Craig James (as well as for Pitt quarterback Dan Marino). The Mustangs were voted #2 in the AP Poll, but the Helms Athletic Foundation, in the final year in which it selected a national college football champion, split the honor between SMU and Penn State. ^[1]

Regular season

• In the Battle for the Iron Skillet, SMU beat TCU 16–13.
• In the Mayor’s Cup, SMU beat Rice 41–14.
• In his senior year despite splitting time with Craig James, Eric Dickerson finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	Result	Attendance
1982-09-11	Tulane*	#8	Texas Stadium • Irving, TX	W 51–7	33,814
1982-09-18	at Texas-El Paso*	#6	Sun Bowl Stadium • El Paso, TX	W 31–10	33,509
1982-09-25	Texas Christian	#6	Texas Stadium • Irving, TX	W 16–13	43,321
1982-10-02	North Texas State*	#7	Texas Stadium • Irving, TX	W 38–10	30,118
1982-10-09	at Baylor	#6	Floyd Casey Stadium • Waco, TX	W 22–19	30,000
1982-10-16	Houston	#5	Texas Stadium • Irving, TX	W 20–14	31,817
1982-10-23	at #19 Texas	#4	Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX	W 30–17	80,157
1982-10-30	Texas A&M	#4	Texas Stadium • Irving, TX	W 47–9	50,008
1982-11-06	at Rice	#2	Rice Stadium • Houston, TX	W 41–14	25,000
1982-11-13	at Texas Tech	#2	Jones Stadium • Lubbock, TX	W 34–27	45,954
1982-11-20	#9 Arkansas	#2	Texas Stadium • Irving, TX	T 17–17	65,101
1983-01-01	vs. #6 Pittsburgh	#4	Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	W 7–3	60,359
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll.

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Eric Dickerson	Running Back	1	2	Los Angeles Rams
Russell Carter	Safety	1	10	New York Jets
Wes Hopkins	Safety	2	35	Philadelphia Eagles
Michael Carter	Nose Tackle	5	121	San Francisco 49ers
Gary Moten	Linebacker	7	175	San Francisco 49ers
Craig James	Running Back	7	187	New England Patriots

^[3]

Awards and honors

• Eric Dickerson, All-America choice ^[4]

References

1. http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/rsfc/history/helms.html
2. Eric's College Days at SMU, http://www.ericdickerson29.com/college.htm
3. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1983.htm
4. Eric Dickerson: Pro Football Hall of Fame, http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=55