Memphis Tigers Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

1 of 5

Nov 29, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers head coach Justin Fuente after the game against the Connecticut Huskies at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Memphis Tigers beat Connecticut Huskies 41-10. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

What can the 2015 Memphis Tigers and Justin Fuente do for an encore coming off one of the best and most surprising seasons in school history?

Until 2014, the most successful run the Memphis Tigers had during the last three decades was the De’Angelo Williams period from 2002 to 2005 under Tommy West. But at that point they were playing in the Conference USA and never won the conference.

More from American

Fast-forward to last year. Head coach Justin Fuente was in his third year with a program that had been about as rock-bottom as you could be and had not even reached .500 in six years. In one of the great rebuilding jobs in college football history, Fuente took the team to a 10-3 record and an American Athletic Conference title.

Seriously, if you know anything about Memphis football, this is one of the most unlikely scenarios that could ever happen to the program. Not only did the Tigers win their conference, win their bowl game, and finish in the Top 25. They also could potentially have been the second-best Group of Five team last year to Boise State.

So what does that leave for this year?

Quarterback Paxton Lynch is back along with seven other starters on offense, but the defense that was so elite last year might be losing a bit too much to overcome, with only three starters back.

Still, a friendly schedule and great coaching could be enough for a repeat conference championship season.

But there are lots of things that have to be resolved first.

Next: Offensive Outlook

Home/American