Will Memphis be able to reach the College Football Playoff? - ESPN

Last year, the Memphis Tigers had a good season that could have been great.

They finished 10-3, with their losses coming to Missouri, a top-10 finisher, as well as SMU and Tulane, the two teams that played in the AAC championship last year.

But there is a new opportunity on the Tigers' doorstep. The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams in 2024 and the top Group of 5 team will get an automatic bid. In the four-team era, a Group of 5 team had to be both perfect and lucky to have a shot at glory: Only the 2021 Cincinnati squad was able to break into the field. Now, Memphis knows that if it takes care of business, a great season could be right around the corner.

«This offseason, there's a lot of momentum that occurred right within our program from the bowl game versus Iowa State, to the stadium [renovations], to the NIL,» Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. «We'll look up at the end of the season and see where the cards may fall.»

It's hard not to be optimistic about what Memphis has put together going into 2024. On paper, the Tigers seemingly have everything in place to win the conference. And in four of the past five seasons under the previous playoff format, the AAC champion has been the New Year's Six participant as the highest-ranked Group of 5 team.

Most people would agree that success on the football field begins and ends with the quarterback position, and in Seth Henigan, Memphis has one of the most experienced quarterbacks in all of college football. Henigan, who has started since his true freshman season, will be the rare quarterback to start four years at one university. Silverfield said other schools tried to pluck Henigan from his roster last season, but after discussion, it was clear to both sides