Memphis Football: Tigers should repeat atop AAC West in 2018

2018 Memphis Schedule and Predictions

There’s a lot to like about this schedule. The Tigers will only face one Power Five team out of conference, a tough Missouri squad late in October when Memphis’ new pieces should be settled in. Likely the two toughest AAC teams that the Tigers will face in 2018, UCF and Houston, both come to the Liberty Bowl.

The Week 2 showdown against Navy will be a good measuring stick for Norvell’s new-look Tigers. The Midshipmen are always a tough out in Annapolis, and if the new quarterback can clear this formidable hurdle, then Memphis will undoubtedly be the team to beat in the rugged AAC West. If they lose, they’re still very much alive in the race, but they’ll be playing catchup in the early parts of the conference season – not exactly an enviable position.

Prediction: 8-4

This isn’t an easy team to get a pulse on. It’s not difficult to imagine everything going smoothly in this transitional year under Norvell, just as it did when Riley Ferguson replaced Paxton Lynch. That’s far from a guarantee, though: the defense could continue its substandard play, the offense could hit a few snags without Ferguson and Miller, and the Tigers could be out of the AAC title race by mid-October.

The good news for this team is that the floor is higher than it’s been in Memphis for decades. Even if the latter situation should occur and the Tigers stumble, they’ll still likely go no worse than, say, 7-5, all while replacing a first team all-conference quarterback and an All-American at receiver. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Next: Preseason Top 25 following spring practices

But it feels like Norvell deserves the benefit of the doubt at this point. This looks like a team built for another run at ten wins and another battle for the AAC West title. Whether or not they achieve those goals may come down to the season finale against Houston.