UNIVERSITY PARK -- On opening day, SMU performed "about as bad as a team can start off,'' in a 46-23 loss to North Texas, coach Sonny Dykes said.
Two more losses followed, by a total of 55 points to TCU and Michigan.
On Saturday, SMU can gain bowl-eligibility with a win at Tulsa.
If that happens, it would cap a remarkable in-season turnaround by the Mustangs.
Most FBS-level teams schedule in at least one sure-thing non-conference win in the first three games. SMU was overly ambitious in its early schedule and paid for it with the 0-3 start.