By admin 
Memphis is not facing a Power 4 opponent this season for the first time since 2020. But don’t take that fact as a slight against the Tigers’ schedule. They’ll be tested, in and out of conference play. And Memphis should ultimately have some say in which team represents the Group of 6 in the College Football Playoff.
Read more How Nikola Kusturica Completely Changes UCLA’s Outlook
The Tigers face Athlon’s projected champions from the Pac-12 (Boise State), Mountain West (UNLV) and the American (Navy), the three non-power conferences most likely to produce a playoff team. The Broncos (No. 24), Rebels (No. 59) and Midshipmen (No. 60) are also Athlon’s highest-ranked teams from the Group of 6.
Don’t sleep on Memphis, though. The Tigers are projected to play for the American Conference championship in coach Charles Huff’s first season in charge. And they come in at No. 68 in Athlon’s Top 138 team rankings. With that schedule – and that much talent – Memphis could be a good notch on a potential playoff team’s resume. That is, unless the Tigers navigate this gauntlet and break through to the CFP themselves.
Memphis figures to have one of the best defenses in the American in 2026. Though the Tigers don’t return a single starter on that side of the ball, they still landed seven players on Athlon’s American Conference All-Conference Team. That list includes three first-teamers who followed Huff over from Southern Miss: defensive lineman J’Mond Tapp, linebacker Mike Montgomery and safety Ian Foster.
There’s much more to figure out on offense, where just one starter is back and the quarterback battle is still ongoing. Still, there’s a lot to like about the offensive line and group of pass-catchers in place around transfers Marcus Stokes (West Florida) and Air Noland (South Carolina). Two Memphis offensive linemen made an all-conference team, along with two wide receivers and a tight end.
- Related: Picking the Best Group of 6 Game Every Week of the 2026 Season
More than half of the Tigers’ roster is new, though. And there’s no tuneup game this time around after three consecutive openers against FCS competition. Memphis is on the road – in Week Zero, nonetheless – against UNLV, the 2025 Mountain West runner-up and 2026 frontrunner.
The Rebels are dangerous on offense. They bring back 1,000-yard rusher Jai’Den Thomas, and former Auburn/Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold could follow in Anthony Colandrea’s footsteps in coach Dan Mullen’s quarterback-friendly offense. Their defense, however, was a sieve last year.
UNLV is 9-3 at home over the last two seasons, which coincides with the best stretch in program history. And given the rest of the Rebels’ schedule, which includes Cal out of conference and New Mexico, Hawaii and North Dakota State in conference, beating Memphis in the opener is practically a non-negotiable if this team is to reach its ceiling. The same can be said of Memphis, which is a 5.5-point underdog to UNLV at FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Related: Mountain West Football Team Win Totals and Predictions for 2026
The Tigers head out West again just two weeks later to face Boise State, which brings back more than half of its starters, including quarterback Maddux Madsen, from a nine-win team. The Broncos won the Mountain West a season ago, and now they’re the favorites to win the rebuilt Pac-12.
Boise State is 18-2 at home on the blue turf over the last three seasons. The Broncos know the value and the risk of playing these highly touted non-conference games. Two years ago, a tight loss to Oregon worked in Boise State’s favor on its path to the playoff. But last fall, early losses to South Florida and Notre Dame essentially eliminated the Broncos from CFP contention.
Read more Five Bold Predictions for Patriots Preseason: Does Drake Maye Struggle?
Coach Spencer Danielson’s squad is seen as far and away the best Group of 6 roster. Boise State is the only team at that level to crack Athlon’s preseason top 25. But similarly to Memphis, the Broncos’ schedule is unforgiving between the opener against the Ducks and a trip to play reigning MAC champion Western Michigan, plus their Pac-12 slate.
- Related: Pac-12 Football Team Win Totals and Predictions for 2026
Strength of schedule is paramount for Group of 6 programs trying to break through to the CFP. The margin for error is exceedingly slim otherwise.
Boise State made it in 2024 as a 12-1 conference champion with a loss to Oregon. Tulane did so in 2025 as an 11-2 conference champion with losses to Ole Miss and UTSA, but the Green Wave also notched two Power 4 wins over Duke and Northwestern. And James Madison also punched its ticket last season as a 12-1 conference champion with a loss to Louisville.
There’s some randomness to the rigor of these games when they’re scheduled so many years in advance. But scheduling intent does seem to matter. And Memphis is testing itself against similarly resourced Group of 6 teams, plus an Arkansas State squad that could be among the best teams in the Sun Belt this season.
Not much can be done about the Tigers’ American conference schedule, though, which could prove tricky. Memphis plays defending champion Tulane on the road on short rest and then hosts East Carolina and Army in back-to-back weeks. After a bye week, the Tigers play at South Florida and Navy, the favorite to win the conference, and then wrap the season up against Temple at home.
If Memphis is the team it’s expected to be, that late November trip to the Naval Academy should shape the conference championship picture. Coach Brian Newberry has built one of the most consistent winners in the American, insulated from the trappings of the transfer portal. The Mids have also won two in a row in the series. But if the Tigers survive their non-conference gauntlet, they’ll still be firmly in the CFP picture by that point.
Huff leading Memphis to the playoff in Year 1 would come as a bit of a surprise. But if the Tigers don’t make the field, the bigger shock might be if they don’t wind up playing the Group of 6 playoff representative at some point this season.
Related: College Football’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings for 2026
Related: Anonymous Coaches Weigh in on Top Group of 6 College Football Programs
Related: The Pac-12 Is Back: How the Conference Emerged from the Wreckage of Realignment
Read more Becerra vows to avoid ‘inflated’ campaign promises, but teases policy ideas
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published August 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM.