The best era for every current AAC football school

Memphis Tigers: From Fuente to Silverfield (2014-present)

Before 2014, Memphis was known nationally as a mid-major basketball powerhouse. The Tigers have had plenty of deep NCAA Tournament runs and future NBA stars like Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Derrick Rose. However, for the football program, it was a different story. Heading into 2014, the Tigers had five straight years, finishing below the five-win mark.

Even before that, Memphis never ended a season ranked in any national polls and only found themselves in an AP Poll just once, a brief one-week appearance in 2004. Justin Fuente accepted the challenge to rebuild Memphis but went a combined 7-17 after his first two years. Then the 2014 season came where his team, lead by quarterback Paxton Lynch, gave some needed life and excitement back to the program.

They shockingly went 9-3 and after a shootout win in the Miami Beach Bowl against BYU, Memphis enjoyed their first double-digit win season and their first finish in an AP Poll when they were ranked at No. 25. The 2014 season was also Memphis' first conference title since they won the Missouri Valley in 1971. For the banner season, Fuente was named the AAC Coach of the Year.

And 2015 was another solid campaign for the Tigers. They started 8-0 which was highlighted by an upset victory against No. 13 Ole Miss at home. They finished 9-3 and Justin Fuente left before the Birmingham Bowl to become the head coach of Virginia Tech and the Tigers lost the bowl game to Auburn. To replace Fuente, Memphis went with Arizona State assistant Mike Norvell.

His first year was good as Memphis went 8-4, but the Tigers lost to Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl. However, starting in 2017, Norvell would help the Tigers get to three consecutive American Conference Championship Games, losing the first two to UCF. In 2019, Memphis won its second American title after beating Cincinnati in the third title game.

During this stretch, Memphis was ranked for 18 total weeks and beat Power Five opponents such as UCLA and Ole Miss and they also took down No. 25 Navy in 2017 and No. 15 SMU in 2019. Cincinnati was ranked in both matchups as well in 2019. An appearance in the Cotton Bowl against Penn State in 2019 was another highlight for the program, despite a 14-point defeat. Norvell left soon after to be the coach of Florida State.

Ryan Silverfield would step in to take Norvell's place and he's done an admirable job at keeping Memphis at a respectable level. In 2020, Memphis went 8-3 and won the Montgomery Bowl against FAU, the program's first bowl win since the Miami Beach Bowl in 2014. The next two years were mediocre. Memphis went 6-6 in 2021 and 7-6 in 2022 including a win in the First Responder Bowl against Utah State.

Last season was way more successful. The Tigers won nine regular season games and got some revenge against Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl. In 2017, the Cyclones defeated Memphis in the same bowl game. While the school hasn't been ranked since 2020, it's safe to say that Memphis has risen to one of the better mid-major teams in college football, thanks to this run.