College Football Rankings 2020: Projected preseason Top 25 sans Pac-12, Big Ten
By Zach Bigalke
17. Memphis Tigers
- Where they were ranked in the 2019 preseason: 40th (6 points)
- Where they were ranked at the end of 2019: 17th (528 points)
- Where they were in our way-too-early Top 25: unranked
- Where they ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll: 30th (71 points)
Memphis was the top team standing from the Group of Five last season, winners of the AAC title and a Cotton Bowl participant opposite Penn State. While the Tigers lost by two touchdowns, they also posted 39 points on a Nittany Lions team that entered the game allowing only 14 points per game up to that point. That performance opened some eyes, but Memphis still won’t be the top team in its own conference according to the AP Top 25 heading into the new year.
Memphis certainly has a wealth of talent returning on offense, starting with quarterback Brady White and running back Kenneth Gainwell. The former is a veteran hand with two prior years of starting experience in Memphis after transferring from Arizona State in 2016. The latter is a Swiss Army knife in the backfield, as threatening catching the ball as he is taking a handoff.
White will be throwing to a largely new group of receivers, though. Damonte Coxie is back at the position, but they lost a lot of talent around him such as deep threat Antonio Gibson and tight end Joey Magnifico. Three of the top four pass catchers from last year are no longer with the team. On the other hand, the Tigers can lean on one of the 20 most experienced defenses playing football this fall.
Winning a divisionless AAC won’t be easy, but Memphis is certainly equipped to remain one of the top three teams in the conference.