Three and half weeks of waiting have led to this. Memphis and Iowa State in the 2023 AutoZone Liberty Bowl for the honor of being called AutoZone Liberty Bowl Champions. For the second time since 2017, Memphis and Iowa State will set forth on the hallowed grounds of the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to battle for the Liberty Bell. These two programs are no strangers to each other, first meeting during the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl in an instant classic that the Cyclones escaped with a narrow 21-20 victory over the hometown Memphis Tigers.

On the Iowa State side, the Cyclone Nation has grown fond of the 901, making their fourth appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in school history. The first appearance came in 1972 when the Cyclones out of the Big Eight Conference would drop a close one to Georgia by a narrow margin of 31-30. The second appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl came in 2012 when the Cyclones met their match in the explosive Tulsa Golden Hurricanes out of the Conference USA. With the third coming in 2017, the Iowa State Cyclones first win in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl over the hometown Memphis Tigers. 2023 will be a different type of trip for Iowa State after a rebuilding year in 2022 that kept the Cyclones from the postseason.

Rumor has it the Iowa State administration informed the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the city of Memphis to have copious amounts of Bush Light on tap as the Cyclone fans will drink the beer like water.

On the Memphis side, the Tigers have been preaching to protect the 901 as the world tunes in to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Friday afternoon. For Memphis, the understanding that they have the spotlight to impress the Big 12 conference while playing in their stadium draws a lot of interest within the Memphis Football program. Despite playing at home, Memphis fans took to Beale Street on Thursday evening to support the hometown Tigers in the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl Bash on Beale Street.

For Head Coach Ryan Silverfield and the Memphis Tigers, Friday is personal. Friday is an opportunity to show the world that the University Of Memphis deserves a seat at the table to compete in the highest places throughout college football. As kick-off approaches around 2:30 local time, Memphis Football will take centerstage once more with a chance to change the course of Memphis Football for generations to come. Friday is the time to put up or shut up if you’re the Tigers. Memphis will need every seat filled with fans from across Memphis with one common goal of cheering on the Tigers to victory in the 2023 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.