DALLAS -- Early Friday morning, SMU received a phone call decades in the making, a lifeline from the ACC offering them a return to the upper echelons of college football.
It was a proud day for the Mustangs, with an afternoon celebration in the school's indoor practice facility. Confetti fell from the sky. The pep band played "Great Balls of Fire" as boosters mingled, shared hugs and high-fives nearly 40 years after becoming one of the most vilified college football programs in college football history.
"We're finally back where we belong," said David Miller, the chairman of SMU's board of trustees, receiving a standing ovation.