Over the course of the last four football seasons, the Memphis Tigers have been to four bowl games and rewritten the program’s history. Coming off a ten-win season that culminated in an AutoZone Liberty Bowl appearance, the Tigers came into this season with high expectations, even after saying goodbye to graduates Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller. Although the team got off to a quick start this season, there is still a lack of attention from national media.
To put it simply, if the Tigers want to gain more respect outside of their own conference, the university is going to have to schedule harder opponents to test the team early in the season. While a trip to Missouri this year may not be an easy contest, it is not enough to warrant respect from outlets across the country.
In the last four years, the Tigers have posted a winning percentage of 77. Their average win total over that time span sits at nine per season, and the program’s two ten-win seasons are the only ones in school history. However, in that same stretch, the Tigers are only 1-3 in postseason play, with the lone victory coming in the 2014 Miami Beach Bowl against BYU.
Over the past four campaigns, the highest strength of schedule for the Tigers was No. 53 in the country, which came in 2015 when Paxton Lynch lead the team to a 9-4 record and a birth in the Birmingham Bowl against Auburn.
The highest national ranking this program has ever achieved was No. 13 in the inaugural college football playoff rankings, and that came during the same season Lynch lead the team to a victory over Ole Miss before eventually losing to Auburn to close out the year. Outside of that run, the Tigers have posted two seasons with the 60th hardest schedule, and their 82nd rated slate coming into this campaign is the lowest that rating has been since Justin Fuente’s second go-around.
Across the rest of the conference, the strength of schedules fluctuates. SMU, who is currently 1-3, plays the 3rd toughest slate in the entire country. Likewise, Houston and Navy both post higher ratings than the Tigers, and Navy is the only loss for Memphis thus far. While these teams schedule the likes of Michigan, TCU, Arizona and Notre Dame, the Tigers will see three of their nonconference games at home against opponents who rank outside of the top-100.
Although the Tigers do not have a high strength of schedule rating, they do have recent victories over marquee programs that suggest possible sustained success if they begin to regularly play stiffer competition. In nationally broadcast games against Ole Miss, UCLA and Houston, the Tigers have shined and proven that the program has what it takes to compete at an elite level.
As early as next season, the Tigers will once again take on both Ole Miss and Missouri at home. Despite these contests, the nonconference schedule still features the likes of South Alabama and Georgia State. If nationwide coverage and respect is the university’s goal, the first step towards achieving that is to add more challenging opponents to the schedule each year.
The University of Mississippi could receive sanctions from the NCAA as a result of a series of violations across multiple sports. In addition, 13 of 28 alleged violations involve the Ole Miss football program.
Sports reporter Zach Thompson
