The 1981 SMU Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Mustangs offense scored 365 points while the defense allowed 137 points. At season's end, the Mustangs were given the National Championship Foundation's (NCF) national championship and secured the Southwest Conference championship.
However, the Mustangs had been put on probation by the NCAA for recruiting violations and, per its terms, were banned from participating in any bowl game in 1981 should they have won enough games to qualify. Since SMU's performance would have given them an automatic berth in the Cotton Bowl, the team decided to treat its final regular season game against Arkansas as their bowl game and nicknamed it the "Polyester Bowl".
SMU finished at #5 in the final Associated Press poll of the season. Because its rules prevent schools under probation from being considered, the Mustangs were not ranked in the UPI Coaches Poll at all during the season.
Schedule
| Date |
Opponent# |
Rank# |
Site |
Result |
Attendance |
|---|
| 1981-09-05 |
Texas–Arlington* |
|
Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas |
W 48-0 |
20,130 |
| 1981-09-12 |
North Texas State* |
|
Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas |
W 34-7 |
20,400 |
| 1981-09-19 |
Grambling State* |
|
Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas |
W 59-27 |
45,700 |
| 1981-09-26 |
at TCU |
No. 20 |
Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, Texas (Battle for the Iron Skillet) |
W 20-9 |
25,862 |
| 1981-10-10 |
Baylor |
No. 14 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas |
W 37-20 |
33,110 |
| 1981-10-17 |
at Houston |
No. 10 |
Astrodome • Houston, Texas |
W 38-22 |
36,892 |
| 1981-10-24 |
No. 10 Texas |
No. 8 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas |
L 7-9 |
62,777 |
| 1981-10-31 |
at Texas A&M |
No. 13 |
Kyle Field • College Station, Texas |
W 27-7 |
62,646 |
| 1981-11-07 |
Rice |
No. 10 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas (Rivalry) |
W 33-12 |
28,750 |
| 1981-11-14 |
Texas Tech |
No. 8 |
Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas |
W 30-6 |
24,410 |
| 1981-11-21 |
at No. 16 Arkansas |
No. 6 |
Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas |
W 32-18 |
43,842 |
*Non-conference game.  Homecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll. |
Roster
| 1981 SMU Mustangs football team roster |
| Players |
Coaches |
| Offense
|
Defense
|
Special teams
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
 Injured Redshirt
|
Game summaries
Arkansas
#6 SMU at #16 Arkansas
| |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|
| • SMU |
3 |
9 | 0 | 20 |
32 |
| Arkansas |
7 |
0 | 11 | 0 |
18 |
|
|
| Scoring summary |
|---|
| | 1 | | SMU | Garcia 39-yard field goal | SMU 3-0 |
| | 1 | | ARK | Anderson 7-yard pass from Jones (Lohay kick) | ARK 7-3 |
| | 2 | | SMU | Garcia 43-yard field goal | ARK 7-6 |
| | 2 | | SMU | Washington 10-yard interception return (pass failed) | SMU 12-7 |
| | 3 | | ARK | Clark 1-yard run (Jones to Pierce pass) | ARK 15-12 |
| | 3 | | ARK | Lohay 21-yard field goal | ARK 18-12 |
| | 4 | | SMU | Garcia 24-yard field goal | ARK 18-15 |
| | 4 | | SMU | Garcia 47-yard field goal | Tied 18-18 |
| | 4 | | SMU | Jones 10-yard run (Garcia kick) | SMU 25-18 |
| | 4 | | SMU | Dickerson 31-yard run (Garcia kick) | SMU 32-18 |
|
- SMU wins first conference title since 1966 (ineligible for Cotton Bowl Classic berth).
Team players drafted into the NFL
[1]
References
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National championship seasons in bold |
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National championships in bold |