After an off-week in week 13, Memphis will wrap up the regular season Thursday night against Navy. While the Tigers still have one game left to play, they have already secured bowl eligibility and will play in their twelfth consecutive bowl game.
Most people had high expectations of going to the college football playoffs earlier this season, but after back-to-back losses against Tulane and East Carolina, Memphis will miss out on both the college football playoffs and the conference championship.
Here’s a look at some potential landing spots for Memphis’ bowl game.
ESPN:
JLab Birmingham Bowl vs. Florida State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Iowa State
Last week, both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach predicted that the Tigers would play against Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl, but Bonagura changed his prediction following week 13.
Bonagura now predicts that Memphis will play former head coach Mike Norvell and Florida State. With one game remaining, the Seminoles still need one win to secure bowl eligibility, and they’ll have the opportunity in their rivalry game against Florida.
Florida State announced Sunday that Norvell would return for the 2026 season.
While Bonagura changed his prediction, Sclabach still has Memphis meeting Iowa State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. If this projection is correct, it would be the third time the Tigers would play meet the Cyclones in the Liberty Bowl, and it would be the rubber match after the two teams split the previous two bowl meetings.
Iowa State is 7-4, and they’ve won back-to-back games over TCU and Kansas. They’ll end the season Saturday on the road against Oklahoma State.
CBS Sports:
Liberty Bowl vs. Iowa State
The Athletic:
Liberty Bowl vs. Cincinnati
While the Athletic also projects the Tigers playing in the Liberty Bowl, they have Memphis matching up against Cincinnati. The Tigers and Bearcats are very familiar with each other, after being conference mates in the American, and Memphis has won five of the last six games against Cincinnati.
The Bearcats started the season 7-1, including seven straight wins following the season opener against Nebraska, but they’re currently on a three-game losing streak. Cincinnati will finish the season on the road against TCU.
On3:
Fenway Bowl vs. Duke
The Fenway Bowl has been a popular landing spot over the last few years, but Memphis has never appeared in a Fenway Bowl.
Duke gained bowl eligibility over the weekend with a win over North Carolina, and the Blue Devils have now won two of their last five games. Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah leads the offense, and he’s recorded 3,182 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and only four interceptions on the year.
The Tigers have only played Duke twice, a home-and-home series in 2012 and 2013, but the Blue Devils won both matchups.
Sports Illustrated:
Military Bowl vs. Louisville
If Sports Illustrated’s projection is right, Memphis would play Louisville in football and basketball in the month of December. Fans are already excited about renewing the basketball rivalry, and it feels like a bowl game against the Cardinals would have the same effect.
Louisville started the season winning four straight and seven of its first eight games of the season, and Jeff Brohm’s team made it all the way up to No. 15 in the AP poll. While the Cardinals got off to a great start, they’ve lost three games in a row, including a 38-6 loss Saturday against SMU.
Louisville will end the season Saturday at home against Kentucky.
Palm Brackets (Jerry Palm):
Fenway Bowl vs. NC State
Another prediction for the Fenway Bowl, but this one projects the Tigers will face NC State. Memphis has never played against the Wolfpack, making them the only opponent in these projections that the Tigers haven’t played in program history.
NC State picked up its sixth win of the season Friday night in a home victory over Florida State, and it will look to improve to seven wins Saturday against North Carolina. While it’s been an up-and-down season for the Wolfpack, they picked up a signature win on Georgia Tech to start November.
The Sporting News:
Birmingham Bowl vs. Marshall
The Sporting News predicts that the Tigers will return to the Liberty Bowl, for a third time in program history, to play Marshall. This is the only projection on this list that has Memphis playing a non-power five opponent.
The Thundering Herd are 1-3 over their last four games, and they must beat Georgia Southern on Saturday to secure a sixth win. The Tigers haven’t played Marshall since 2012, but the Thundering Herd have won five straight over Memphis.