With a mixture of poise, statistics, quiet desperation, and rusty darts you are presented the Memphis Tigers win-loss prediction.
AT Mississippi State – L It ain’t all about them Dogs. It’s all about the horses. Despite Coach Silverfield’s recognition of trench needs, and great o-line and d-line recruiting, bad news. It’s not enough for SEC talent heft. Just won’t be able to fight the pound difference and 4-star vs 3-star talent. Ouch!
Navy – W It’s not the same Navy that plagued Memphis for years. Superior linebacker play from Memphis should help a good win streak against the Midshipmen.
Arkansas State – W Seth Henigan, plus the Memphis Tigers competitive recruiting, and a stronger line and speedier secondary will prevent Arkansas State from repeating the Scary Movie from last year.
North Texas – W The Grant Gunnell revenge game. Nah, just kidding! North Texas not enough for the Memphis Tigers wide receiver speed and Seth Henigan’s accuracy. Perhaps an easier win than you would think?
Temple – W Memphis momentum plus home field advantage make Memphis a favorite here. Maybe the closest match on paper (pending major injuries). Should continue the win streak. All Tiger’s fans should cross their fingers Memphis doesn’t look ahead to next week.
And here is the Zippin’ Pippin portion of the Schedule. Unfortunately for the Tigers what goes up must come down.
Houston – L Just a little too much. Nothing specific, just a stronger returning program. A little more chemistry, maybe a touch more talent. Coaching OK too, just no reason to think the Tigers can scale this mountain. Quarterback Clayton Tune returns for Houston and that negates any possible position advantage for the Tigers.
AT East Carolina W The Memphis Tigers should be triumphant in this game. You could almost call this a schedule win. The Houston game the week before most likely would be a loss, and the Tigers know that Tulane on the road plus UCF the week after is difficult. If the team can’t beat East Carolina at their house; it could be a long season for the Tigers. With momentum, plus fear, Memphis should pull this out in a battle.
AT Tulane L Just too much Green Wave. Also a thin Memphis depth might begin to rear its head, especially on the defense. And a lot of transfers, if they do not gel, it could get ugly in New Orleans.
Central Florida L Once again a stronger team comes into Memphis and is triumphant. Might be the first 2-loss home campaign for a while. But there’s not much drop-off in UCF this year. Bad news for the Tigers.
Tulsa W Hopefully a season-saving win on national TV and ESPN. Just trying not to be 3 in a row, plus Memphis rowdy night crowd.
North Alabama W A good place for a breather. An outmatched opponent, especially since Tiger running game should be hitting on all gears by this time of year.
AT SMU L A tough and pivotal game. Depends a lot on where the two teams are with their records. But SMU is a tough place to play. Oh, and did Tanner Mordecai return as QB? Sigh; yes he did. Close loss.
The two key games are the home game against North Texas and Tulane on the road.
North Texas ended on a high note last year. They beat an unbeaten UTSA team in their last game. Tulane ended badly. They were tired, according to reports. North Texas faced a killer out of conference schedule. They could be on the upturn. Memphis should beat North Texas at home, and lose to Tulane on the road. My 7-5 estimate would be blown apart by either ending differently. (If you like the preview, follow @ajayxeMem on Twitter)