Without a doubt, SMU was one of the best teams in the ACC in 2024. Ideally, it was a run that Virginia and Virginia Tech would like to make--an ACC Championship game appearance and College Football Playoff appearance as well. The Mustangs were hungry for success and to prove their worth as they transitioned to a power four conference.

Shortly after Finebaum’s on-air rebuke, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin added his voice to the fray via Instagram, sharing Lashlee’s original comments and tagging Finebaum’s show account with the message, “Get him @finebaumshow.”

Paul Finebaum did not hold back his fury after hearing Rhett Lashlee's comments about the SEC earlier this week.

The 42-year-old Lashlee is entering his fourth season as SMU's head coach and has been excellent during his time in Dallas. In 2022, he led the Mustangs to a 7–6 record, but since has authored back-to-back 11–3 seasons and led them to the first round of the College Football Playoff in 2024.

He lost to them in the ACC Championship, but SMU coach Rhett Lashlee just made a bombshell admission, calling Clemson the "standard" of the ACC and declaring them his No. 1 team in the nation.

At ACC Media Days, SMU's players and coached spoke about their successful 2024 campaign and how they hope it inspires an even better year in 2025.