How Does Memphis Boost Its Future Football Schedules?
With spring football wrapping up around the nation, fans will soon be filling the stadiums to watch their teams play. You will hear such statements as, “This non-conference schedule sucks.”, “Why go when they do not play anyone?”, and more while tailgating and during the game. Moreover, you see the fans who are behind keyboards lash out at coaches and athletic directors for these schedules, which is a heinous action.
With this, we look at the upcoming Memphis Tigers football schedule and analyze the future schedules and opponents. In addition, we project teams that can add value to the schedule.
2025 Opponents
As the program begins a new season, the goal remains the same: an American Athletic Conference Championship, and, in some minds, a College Football Playoff appearance. For this to happen, Memphis will need to dominate in its non-conference contests.
Chattanooga Mocs
This will all start in week one, on August 30th, 2025, as the Chattanooga Mocs come to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. In 2024, the Mocs finished with a 7-5 overall record, including a 5-3 record in the Southern Conference. Head Coach Rusty Wright recently told local media, “The biggest thing is looking forward to getting out there with them,” when speaking on his thoughts as spring ball began.
Wright would go on to say, “We like the way these groups work so far,” when speaking on his 2025 team, and he has many reasons to like them. Chattanooga returns experience at every position, yet many were not starters. Offensively, there are five, while only three are on defense and special teams.
Georgia State Panthers
Next on the schedule is the Georgia State Panthers, on September 6th in Atlanta. Tiger fans may recognize the opponent as these two were scheduled to meet in Atlanta in 2017. Subsequently, Memphis cancelled the September 30th game as the program was tasked with reshuffling the schedule due to Hurricane Irma. With this, the UCF contest was played on September 30th in place of the Panthers. In the end, Memphis paid GSU $1.1 million in cancellation fees and expenses. The teams did meet in 2018 with the Tigers prevailing, 59-22, in Memphis.
Last season, the Panthers finished with a 3-9 overall record, including 1-7 in the Sun Belt Conference. In the first year under Dell McGee, the Panthers showed promise despite the record. This offseason, McGee made staff changes as he brought in Deron Wilson, from Arkansas, as his new defensive coordinator. In addition to Wilson, the Panthers added Bryant Ross, previously of Louisiana, as the new offensive line coach. The line will be key as the Panthers look to ride the arm of Christian Vellieux, a second-year starter. The redshirt senior from Ontario, Canada, will be looking to put the Panthers on the map as they host Memphis early in the season.
Troy Trojans
Memphis again hits the road for week three as they travel to Troy, Alabama, to tangle with the Trojans. Fans recall the most recent contest, in 2024, where then #25 ranked Memphis thumped the Trojans, 38-17, in Memphis. By season’s end, the Trojans finished with a 4-8 overall record, including 3-5 in Sun Belt Conference play.
To close the season, the Trojans won three of the games, fueled by an offense that averaged 35.8 points in the final five games. In addition, Troy averaged the 19th most yards and 14th most points in November. This, along with a top 25 nationally ranked defensive unit in yards allowed in November, and Gerald Parker, has excitement. There are some in the area reminiscing about years of past success.
The Trojans will look to utilize the efforts to close 2024 to carry over to this upcoming season. Fans in the area see similarities between the first season under previous coach Neal Brown, which opened with a 2-6 record, yet finished strong, and the efforts were fruitful as Troy won 10 games in 2016.
Arkansas Razorbacks
On September 20th, the Tigers will resume the Southeastern Conference opponents as the Arkansas Razorbacks come to Memphis. In a series that is not as long as the rich basketball history, Memphis leads the series, 3-2, with the most recent game being played in 1998. That game would mark the second win for the Hogs as they won, 27-10 in 1995, and 23-9 in 1998. The Razorbacks finished the 2024 slate with a 7-6 record, including a 3-5 record in SEC play. In postseason play, Arkansas returned to Memphis and the Liberty Bowl and defeated Texas Tech 39-26 in the 2024 edition of the storied bowl game.
The 2025 meeting will be the first of three games scheduled between these teams. In the end, Memphis signed a two-for-one versus Arkansas, as the Hogs will only visit Memphis once. The next meeting in the series will be in Fayetteville in 2026. Per the agreement between the schools, Memphis will receive $1 million for making the extra trip to the Natural State in 2028. We will have more on the final game soon.
Fans in Fayetteville are not thrilled for another trip back to Memphis, yet the offense of Bobby Petrino, with the CEO mindset of Sam Pittman, makes Arkansas a program not to sleep on. In addition, Arkansas has the potential to look past Memphis as they host Notre Dame the following week in Fayetteville.
Future Opponents
In the 2026 season, Memphis will welcome Arkansas State and UT-Martin to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The Tigers will take to the road for a return trip to Boise State for the first time in program history and the above-mentioned game in Fayetteville. The 2026 season is the last of a full non-conference slate of opponents for the future schedules of Memphis.
In 2027, Memphis welcomes former C-USA foe, Southern Miss, to the SBLS. As of now, this is the only home non-conference game scheduled. Memphis is scheduled to travel to Jonesboro to tangle with Arkansas State and Murfreesboro to take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. Memphis will need to fill one slot in its non-conference schedule for the 2027 season.
The following season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs return to the schedule for the first time since the 2022 season as they travel to the Bluff City. In addition to the Bulldogs, Arkansas State is scheduled to play in Memphis in the 2028 season. The final game currently scheduled for the season is the final game versus Arkansas. We do not believe this game will be played, as we see the SEC being at a nine-game conference slate by the time this game kicks off. We have seen this before as Arkansas dropped the Tigers previously under the Jeff Long era as AD in Fayetteville.
The 2029 season has only two games scheduled, with both games being road affairs. The first is a trip back to Jonesboro to take on Arkansas State. The final scheduled road game of 2029 is currently slated for Starkville, Mississippi, against the Bulldogs. Memphis is currently needing two more teams scheduled for the 2029 season.
The 2030 season has the Broncos of Boise State returning to Memphis for the third of four game series, with Memphis winning game one, 35-32 in 2023, with the Tigers. The second game currently on the slate in a trip to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to take on the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. In 2031, the only game slated is the fourth and final game versus Boise State on the road.
Teams Can Bring Value To Memphis’ Future Schedules
Now that we know what seasons will need opponents, we look to some teams that can add value to the slate of games.
UCF Black Knights
We start with an old foe in the University of Central Florida. The Black Knights may hold the series lead, 15-2, over Memphis, but these two programs have classic history. When the Knights were in the American, these two met for Conference Championship games as well as nail-biters seemingly every year.
In the last meeting, UCF won 35-28 in Memphis, and we know Ryan Silverfield of Memphis and newish coach for UCF, Scott Frost, would be eager to bring instant excitement for each fan base. While the fans are not “Fans” of each other, the games have been too good not to get back on the slate.
Florida Gators
When we look back at schedules of years past and future, we see the SEC and its programs. With this, we predict the Florida Gators can add extreme value to the schedule. In reality, this matchup adds value to both brands as both have had success recently. We spoke with the head Gator, Billy Napier, on his “Hot Seat” start, then, Florida had a season that turned into an 8-5 season capped off with a 33-8 postseason win over Tulane in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparillo Bowl.
To add to the intrigue, these programs have not met in thirty-six seasons. Memphis and Florida have only met twice, with each team winning a game apiece. Memphis would travel to Gainesville and defeat the Gators, 17-11, in 1988. Florida came to Memphis in 1989, and won 38-13 in the most recent meeting.
Miami Hurricanes
As we continue the Sunshine State trend, we look to Coral Gables and the Miami Hurricanes. This is another program that new school Tiger fans may not recollect being on the schedule for Memphis. Miami leads the all-time series, 2-1, over Memphis. The Tigers won the inaugural meeting, 26-13, in 1969.
Fans of the programs waited twenty four years before the next meeting, in 1993. That game, won by Miami, evened the series at the time. The most recent game, in 1996, ended in a Hurricanes 30-7 rout of Memphis. There are not many teams in the nation that command more eyes than “The U” and adding the Hurricanes would be a major hit!
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The next team may be a little off the beaten path, but stay with us. Could you imagine Memphis playing at Notre Dame? It is our opinion that this matchup needs to happen. These two programs have never met in football; why not change this?
How does Memphis add the Fighting Irish? The Tigers have a longstanding positive relationship with the ACC, yes, we know Notre Dame is an “Independent”, and Ed Scott needs to utilize this. The former Virginia and current Memphis AD is familiar with the Irish, and this would bring fans out to what would be a newly renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. When you add a 14-2 team that lost to Ohio State in the CFP National Championship, fans shouldn’t complain.
Louisville Cardinals
Do you miss playing Louisville in football? We do. With the recent announcement of these programs renewing their historic rivalry on the hardwood, why not the gridiron? While the Cardinals lead the all-time series, 29-14, there have been some magical moments in the games of the past. Louisville won the most recent game, 25-17 in 2013, for their fourth consecutive win in the series, yet Tiger fans would claw through a wall to welcome the Cards back to the schedule.
With this, could we see another pairing in conference between these two? We mentioned the familiarity of Scott with the ACC, and we have been told from sources that the Cardinals have voiced their favor of Memphis being possibly added in the future. We say why not add “The Ville’” before the crucial 2029-30 season the the ACC?
Purdue Boilermakers
We close with another team Memphis has yet to face, the Purdue Boilermakers. Some may question why we would put a 1-11 and a 0-9 in the Big Ten team on the list, and we have our reasons. The first of these is that these programs have been scheduled to play previously. In the 2020 season, Memphis was supposed to play at Purdue but was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In addition to there being a previous conversation, there is a familiar face at the helm of Purdue. The Boilermakers made a change in the offseason as they lured Barry Odom from UNLV as their new head coach. Odom, a former Memphis defensive coordinator, has many connections to the area and program. If we are Memphis, we are using all relationships to their advantage when it comes to adding value for its program, and its fans, with a strengthened non-conference schedule
In closing, we want to add more context to these future opponents. With the sustained success of the Tigers, it is of our opinion that any scheduled series should be, at miniumum, a home-and home series with ther opponents. The Arkansas series currently signed is a glaring example of how the Tigers need to not bow down to “P4”, or in reality, the “P2” conferences of the SEC and Big Ten.
Memphis has earned the respect of the programs to play a level series with any program in the country.
