What’s next for college football’s most unlikely 4-0 teams?

5. SMU

The Mustangs may be feeling snubbed as the Big 12 invited three of its fellow conference members to join the league soon, but they exacted a bit of revenge with a win against TCU last Saturday. Against a normally stout Horned Frogs defense, SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai was a wizard, throwing for 245 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-34 victory. This followed a dramatic last-second victory against Louisiana Tech, in which a bobbled Hail Mary pass in the end zone landed in the hands of wide receiver Reggie Roberson, Jr. to give the Mustangs an improbable 39-37 win.

The best teams in the AAC are loaded at the back end of SMU’s schedule: UCF, Cincinnati, and Memphis are lined up to play the Mustangs in November. With some winnable games approaching, though, SMU is a good candidate to extend their unbeaten record and enter the national Top 25 rankings for the third consecutive season.

6. Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons are coming off two decisive victories against Florida State and Virginia, which is generating fairly little buzz on the national scene. Wake Forest has already matched its win total from last year (a 4-5 finish), and the squad has a chance to finish with its best win-loss record in more than a decade — the team hasn’t topped eight wins since 2007.

The Demon Deacons have earned only their second Top 25 ranking (No. 24) in the past 13 seasons, no small feat, but the meat of the schedule comes in the later months with games against N.C. State, Army, and Clemson coming in the latter part of the season. We won’t know if Wake Forest is for real until then.