Memphis, Tennessee:

We’re less than seventeen days away from kicking off the 2021 Memphis football season with the home opener against a very talented Nicholls State team. Nicholls State comes into the 2021 College Football season ranked 23rd in the AFCA FCS preseason polls.

Sure, it’s an FCS opponent, and it might be hard to get excited for, but the Colonels are a formidable foe for Ryan Silverfield and his Tigers. Nicholls State is a team that likes to light up the scoreboard by putting up massive numbers in both the scoring column and on the yardage markers as well. Last season, Nicholls State outscored their opponents 341-238, which is a difference of one hundred and three points.

So how does Memphis stack up against Nicholls State? From a head-to-head matchup standpoint, Memphis is better at just about every position on the field, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be a cakewalk for the Tigers.

For three guys on the Nicholls State roster, the Memphis game will be a chance at either beating the hometown team or beating their former teammates. Mikhall Hall and Titus Jones both played for the Tigers in a previous season or two and were former teammates with several guys on the current team. Dewayne Betts Jr, on the other hand, is a Memphis kid who played his high school football career at KIPP Collegiate High.

In the weeks to follow the Nicholls State game, Memphis will travel to Jonesboro, Arkansas, to take on a regional rival, Arkansas State, before returning home to take on Missississippi State on September 18th. This is why it’s of dire importance that Memphis takes Nicholls State seriously because an early-season loss to Nicholls State could spell disaster for the Tigers in 2021.

Overall, Memphis should beat Nicholls State on September 4th. However, if it’s not an easy win, there’s no reason to panic. In the long run, Memphis will be better for playing a quality FCS opponent to start the season instead of the bottom dweller programs that Memphis has faced in the past.