The SMU Mustangs were 10-1 in 1981.
| GP | PTS | YDS | PLY | AVG | RUSH YDS | RUSH ATT | RUSH AVG | PASS YDS | PASS ATT | PASS AVG | SCK | SCKY | 1DWN | RUSH 1DWN | PASS 1DWN | PEN 1DWN | PEN | PEN YDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | 11 | 365 | 4,356 | 821 | 5.3 | 3,276 | 660 | 5.0 | 1,080 | 161 | 6.7 | ||||||||
Team Rank | 3rd | 23rd | 33rd | 27th | 4th | 5th | 7th | 127th | 127th | 48th | |||||||||
Opponent | 11 | 137 | 3,093 | 4.1 | 1,398 | 460 | 3.0 | 1,695 | 294 | 5.8 | |||||||||
Opponent Rank | 12th | 30th | 32nd | 30th | 35th | 35th | 61st | 92nd | 28th | ||||||||||
Net | +228 | +1,263 | +821 | +1.2 | +1,878 | +200 | +1.9 | -615 | -133 | +0.9 | |||||||||
Net Rank | 4th | 12th | 33rd | 15th | 3rd | 8th | 12th | 120th | 125th | 37th |
| Big 10 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 |
| American Athletic | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 9 | 2 | .818 |
| Independent | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| 2 | 9 | 3 | .750 |
| Pac-12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 9 | .182 | |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | .455 |
| Mountain West | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Big 12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 10 | 1 | .909 |
| Mid-American | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | .636 | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Conference USA | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | .636 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .727 |
| Sun Belt | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .727 |