The city of Memphis is buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming college football season, as the Tigers gear up for a shot at the College Football Playoff. The 901 is alive with discussions about Tigers Football; Coach Silverfield has positioned the program for a remarkable journey. Despite a history of near misses, the last decade has transformed Memphis Football, setting a new course for future generations. If the Tigers can break through to the expanded College Football Playoff, the program’s potential will be limitless, reaching heights previously unimaginable.

Since the famous Tommy West rant in 2009, the University Of Memphis has poured into football at a level never seen before. In 2019, Mike Norvell and the Memphis Tigers took it to the next level by reaching the Cotton Bowl, a New Year Six Bowl for the Memphis Tigers. Not to mention attracting College Game Day to Beale Street, where close to 40,000 Memphis fans lined the streets in blue and grey in the wee hours of the morning to showcase the program. Dating back to 2014, Memphis comes into the 2024 season riding a ten-season bowl streak where the Tigers have shown the possibilities of sustained success within the Memphis Football program. During that span, Memphis has won the American Athletic Conference twice while putting together a run of four ten-win or more seasons for just the fifth time in program history. Before 2014, Memphis had only one ten-win season dating back to 1938.

With the sustained success under the leadership of Justin Fuente, Mike Norvell, and now Ryan Silverfield, the Tigers earned a significant investment to redo the football facilities before turning the money over to the Liberty Bowl. As it stands, the Tigers are in the middle of phase two of the renovation process that will, over time, give them one of the best football stadiums in America. At its completion in 2026, Memphis Football will have the final piece of the puzzle needed to get top-tier recruits to the 901 to give Memphis Football the best chance in the world to not only compete for Championships in the American Conference but give Memphis a leg up on the national scene as well.

With the investment from FedEx and others, Memphis Football now has an unlimited NIL pool to recruit the best athletes to play for the Tigers. This past offseason, we saw evidence of that when the Tigers entered Knoxville and got a crucial transfer in Elijah Herring. Herring, among others, is proof that Memphis is right there at the door of being able to compete with the biggest names in the sport with money, facilities, and rebid fan support that is among the best in their conference.

As this season approaches, the question remains: The Tigers will turn the page to take on North Alabama next Saturday. Why not Memphis? Memphis has a golden ticket this season to kick down the door of the college football world and prove the Tigers are here to stay. Memphis can carry the frenzy well into deep September if they can manage to go on the road on September 14th and upset their former Head Coach, Mike Norvell, and the Florida State Seminoles. It’s all right in front of them this season; there has never been a better time for the city of Memphis to rally as one team to support the hometown Memphis Tigers this season.