Records: Stanford 2-3, 1-1 ACC. SMU 3-2, 1-0.
Kickoff: 9 a.m. PT at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas
TV: The CW
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM
Series history: Tied 1-1. SMU won 40-10 last year at Stanford Stadium, while Stanford won 7-0 in the 1936 Rose Bowl. SMU and Cal are Stanford’s “protected rivals” in the ACC, which means the teams will play each other every season.
Stanford storylines: The Cardinal have an extra week to prepare and are coming off its most thrilling win of the season, a come-from-behind, last-minute 30-29 win over local rival San Jose State. Will that be enough to overcome a 9 a.m. Pacific kickoff against a team that dominated the Cardinal last season? Stanford has been awful on the road, losing to Hawaii and getting blown out by BYU and Virginia.
SMU storylines: The Mustangs entered the season 16th in both the AP and Coaches polls, but fell out after losses to Baylor and TCU. Their only wins were against East Texas A&M, Missouri State, and a Syracuse team playing without its starting quarterback. The Mustangs have been opportunistic on defense, ranking second nationally with nine interceptions.
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Stats that matter: Stanford’s defense has allowed the second-most trips to the red zone of any team in the country (28), but ranks ninth in opponents’ red zone touchdown percentage (39.3%). … The game will feature three of the top 10 tacklers in the ACC in Stanford’s Matt Rose (sixth, 8.0 tackles per game) and Scott Edwards (seventh, 7.8) and SMU’s Isaiah Nwokobia (ninth, 7.4). Rose will miss the first half due to a targeting penalty against San Jose State. … SMU’s Romello Brinson ranks second in the ACC in receiving yards per game (87.2) while Stanford’s CJ Williams ranks sixth in receptions (28). … Over his last three games, Stanford quarterback Ben Gulbranson is completing 66% of his passes for 916 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. … The Mustangs have nine touchdown drives that have lasted less than two minutes.