Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 82. Memphis
The New RBU?
What if I told you Memphis made Peyton Manning the QB he is today? In 1996, Memphis hosted junior QB Peyton Manning and #6 Tennessee late in the season. Memphis was just 3-6, while Tennessee was 6-1 and in the hunt for a national title. In true college football chaos fashion, the 26 point underdog Tigers pulled off a 21-17 win, scoring a TD with just 34 seconds to go. Returner Kevin Cobb took back a controversial 95 kick return for TD in which it looked like his knee was down, but the refs ruled it a TD. The play won an ESPY for college football play of the year, and the win was one of the biggest in school history.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+---------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+---------+------+--------------+--------+
| 13 | Memphis | 2019 | 29.169 | 12-2 |
| 25 | Memphis | 2014 | 14.915 | 10-3 |
| 34 | Memphis | 2015 | 11.312 | 9-4 |
| 35 | Memphis | 2017 | 11.256 | 10-3 |
| 32 | Memphis | 2003 | 10.813 | 9-4 |
| 42 | Memphis | 1983 | 0.514 | 6-4-1 |
| 52 | Memphis | 2020 | -1.024 | 8-3 |
| 53 | Memphis | 2016 | -2.515 | 8-5 |
| 45 | Memphis | 1992 | -5.086 | 6-5 |
| 46 | Memphis | 2004 | -5.388 | 8-4 |
| 45 | Memphis | 1993 | -5.914 | 6-5 |
| 65 | Memphis | 2018 | -7.446 | 8-6 |
| 57 | Memphis | 2005 | -7.696 | 7-5 |
| 55 | Memphis | 1988 | -9.088 | 6-5 |
| 66 | Memphis | 2022 | -9.635 | 7-6 |
| 55 | Memphis | 1987 | -11.684 | 5-5-1 |
| 78 | Memphis | 2021 | -13.121 | 6-6 |
| 65 | Memphis | 1984 | -13.469 | 5-5-1 |
| 60 | Memphis | 1991 | -13.473 | 5-6 |
| 68 | Memphis | 1999 | -14.812 | 5-6 |
| 63 | Memphis | 1994 | -15.174 | 6-5 |
| 74 | Memphis | 2001 | -18.471 | 5-6 |
| 71 | Memphis | 1990 | -19.29 | 4-6-1 |
| 80 | Memphis | 2007 | -20.859 | 7-6 |
| 72 | Memphis | 1996 | -21.378 | 4-7 |
| 85 | Memphis | 2008 | -22.433 | 6-7 |
| 83 | Memphis | 2000 | -25.765 | 4-7 |
| 80 | Memphis | 1997 | -27.819 | 4-7 |
| 80 | Memphis | 1985 | -28.717 | 2-7-2 |
| 100 | Memphis | 2012 | -36.249 | 4-8 |
| 99 | Memphis | 2013 | -36.251 | 3-9 |
| 88 | Memphis | 1995 | -36.55 | 3-8 |
| 98 | Memphis | 2002 | -40.272 | 3-9 |
| 104 | Memphis | 1998 | -46.048 | 2-9 |
| 94 | Memphis | 1989 | -48.897 | 2-9 |
| 110 | Memphis | 2006 | -49.54 | 2-10 |
| 112 | Memphis | 2009 | -54.004 | 2-10 |
| 104 | Memphis | 1986 | -59.789 | 1-10 |
| 116 | Memphis | 2011 | -60.369 | 2-10 |
| 120 | Memphis | 2010 | -67.338 | 1-11 |
+------+---------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 10364 (82nd)213-253-6 record
2 conference titles
5-8 bowl record
4 consensus All-Americans
60 NFL players drafted
60 NFL players is a LOT. Especially for a Group of 5 team. Memphis has produced the most NFL draftees of anyone on the list so far with 60, more than the 6 Power 5 teams we’ve seen including Iowa State, Indiana, Kansas, and Rutgers. Primarily they’ve been a RB factory in recent years, producing NFL RBs DeAngelo Williams, Tony Pollard, Antonio Gibson, Darrell Henderson, and Kenneth Gainwell. The first 3 produced 1000+ yard rushing seasons in the NFL, while Gainwell ran for 100 yards in a playoff game last year, and Henderson won a Super Bowl with the Rams recently. They also have a shout to be Special Teams U, producing All-American K Joe Allison, All-American P Tom Hornsey, NFL 2010s All-Decade K Stephen Gostkowski, and current NFL starting kickers Jake Elliott and Riley Patterson.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 2010 (1-11 overall, 0-8 Conference USA)
I can only imagine how helpless Dontari Poe felt. The 6’3 345 lb DT would be drafted with the 11th overall pick just 2 years later, and was a standout talent on an otherwise hapless Memphis team. Memphis ranked bottom 5 in both offense (14.4 PPG) and defense (39.8 PPG) in 2010, losing 8 games by 20+ points. Freshman punter Tom Hornsey probably enjoyed the inept offense, getting to punt 80 times for a 42.7 yard average. Hornsey would go on to be a consensus All-American 3 years later in 2013. They somehow beat Middle Tennessee 24-17, who made a bowl. But a 17-56 loss to 5-7 Houston was bad. Most of the blame fell on the shoulders of first year head coach Larry Porter, who prior to his hiring, had never been a head coach or even coordinator. Porter came from LSU’s RB coach position, and has returned to coaching RBs ever since his firing in 2011. As one r/cfb member put it, “Larry Porter almost got our program cancelled.”
5. 2003 (9-4 overall, 5-3 Conference USA)
After beating Tennessee Tech 40-10 in the opener, Memphis made themselves nationally known in week 2, beating Eli Manning and Ole Miss 44-34. Memphis QB Danny Wimprine outdueled Manning, throwing for 355 yards and 3 TD with no picks, also catching a 34 yard pass on a trick play. Future NFL RB Deangelo Williams burst onto the scene, racking up 166 and 3 TD from scrimmage on 32 touches. Ole Miss was a good team that year too, they’d finish 10-3 with a #13 final ranking. Memphis had a hangover after the game though, and won just 1 of their next 4. They grouped together to win 5 straight by an average score of 37-14, before losing to USF 16-21 in the final regular season game. Tied for 3rd place in C-USA, Memphis faced 3 straight Sun Belt champs North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, shutting down any UNT passing game for a 27-17 win. Junior QB Danny Wimprine threw for 3000+ yards with 22 TD 13 INT, and would finish his career next season as Memphis’ all-time leading passer with 10,215 yards and 81 TD. DeAngelo Williams won C-USA Offensive POTY with just 11 games played, going for 1814 yards from scrimmage. Sophomore K Stephen Gostkowski was 19/29 on FGs.
4. 2017 (10-3 overall, 7-1 American)
By 2017, Memphis was known as one of the more solid Group of 5 programs, having gone 27-12 over the previous 3 years, located in an area with lots of local talent. QB Riley Ferguson and WR Anthony Miller returned for their seniors year after a great 2016 connection, and would level up in 2017. In week 3 they hosted #25 UCLA and Josh Rosen, who had just completed a 34-point comeback against Texas A&M 2 weeks prior. Ferguson was the better QB on the day, throwing for 6 TD in a 48-45 upset win. After a 3-0 start they’d lose 13-40 to a UCF team that would finish the season unbeaten. A few weeks later, a 30-27 win over #25 Navy would give Memphis their second win over a top 25 team in one season, their first time ever doing so. Other wins included 42-38 over Houston after being down 14-31 in the 3rd quarter, 66-45 over 7-6 SMU, and 70-13 over East Carolina. It was #20 UCF (11-0) vs #20 Memphis (10-1) for the AAC title, and UCF, a team of destiny that year, would win 62-55 in OT in one of the games of the year. Memphis played an emotional Iowa State team in the bowl, who was having their best season in decades, and lost by 1 point.
Ferguson threw for 4257 yards 38 TD 9 INT, completing a fantastic 2-season career after transferring from community college. RB Patrick Taylor Jr. got the bulk of carries with 157 for 866 yards and 13 TD, but it was Darrell Henderson who popped off with 1154 rushing yards on 8.9(!!!) yards per carry. Anthony Miller was a consensus All-American with 96 catches for 1462 yards and 18 TD, leading the nation in TD catches. LB Genard Avery had a stellar season on the defensive side with 80 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and 13.5 TFL.
This was one of the best offenses in the country, ranking 2nd in PPG with 45.5.
3. 2015 (9-4 overall, 5-3 American)
Justin Fuente was building something special at Memphis. Hired to clean up the mess Larry Porter left, Fuente had Memphis go 10-3 in 2014, his 3rd year, ending on a 7 game win streak. With that momentum, the Tigers started hot in 2015. A 55-23 win over Kansas in week 2 wasn’t even close, outgaining them 651-359. After wins over eventual MAC champion Bowling Green, and eventual bowl teams Cincinnati and USF, Memphis improved to 5-0, set to host #13 Ole Miss. In front of 60,000 fans, Memphis owned the Rebels, scoring 31 straight points in a 37-24 win. Memphis looked like a legit team that could compete with Power 5 schools for the first time ever. 2 wins later, they were up to #13 in the nation with a win streak of 15 games dating back to last season. The wheels would fall off against 6-1 Navy though. A -3 turnover margin was costly, as Navy just chewed clock on drives in a 45-20 win. Navy would go on to finish #18 and Keenan Reynolds was top 5 in Heisman voting. Originally the media darlings as the top ranked G5 team, #21 Memphis now faced unbeaten #24 Houston, who came back from down 34-14 in the 4th quarter to win by 1 point. Memphis slipped again, losing 12-31 to a really underrated Temple team, before taking their frusturations out in a 63-0 win over SMU. The 63-0 win had…the wildest statline I’ve ever seen? Ferguson went 9/14 on passes for 222 yards and 7 TD. Seven touchdowns on nine completions???
The year ended with an uneventful 31-10 loss to Auburn in the bowl. It was kind of a “what if” season for Memphis, losing 4 of their last 5, but still their 3rd best season in the last 40 years. Lynch parlayed a 3776 passing yard 28 TD 4 INT season into a 1st round selection by the Denver Broncos, successfully scamming the Elways. Somewhat deserved though, this team had just 1 other 1st/2nd team all-conference player in OL Taylor Fallin, so Lynch carried most of the load. Fuente left for the head coaching job at Virginia Tech after the season.
2. 2014 (10-3 overall, 7-1 American)
The year before 2015 was slightly better. This team was young and nobody knew who they were yet, as they’d gone just 12-48 over the previous 5 seasons. The media could smell something brewing under Fuente though, as Memphis was picked 7th out of 11 teams in the American, giving them a solid shot at making a bowl. Memphis surprised everyone in week 2, playing #11 UCLA to a 35-42 loss in the Rose Bowl (venue, not game). A 41-14 win over Cincinnati in week 5 signalled that Memphis had truly arrived, the offense clicking on all cylinders with 610 yards and 0 turnovers. After a loss to Houston, Memphis was 3-3 and 1-1 in the American, about to get into the meat of conference play. Easy wins over SMU and Tulsa improved their record to 5-3, and a walkoff FG for a 16-13 win over 5-3 Temple earned them bowl eligibility for the first time in 6 years. At 6-3 and 4-1 in the American, Memphis just needed to win their last 3 games to claim the conference title. A soft remaining schedule consisted of Tulane, USF, and UConn, whose combined record at the end of the year was 9-27. Memphis won all 3 easily, and clinched a share of the American title with Cincinnati and UCF, completing a dream regular season. They had a wild game in the Miami Beach Bowl, beating BYU 55-48, and tempers erupted at the end of the game, leading to one of the best brawls of the decade.
Memphis achieved double digit wins for the first time in school history and finished #25, their first top 25 finish ever. LB Tank Jakes won AAC Defensive POTY with 92 tackles, 6 sacks, and 9.5 TFL. K Jake Elliott was the AAC Special Teams POTY, going 21/32 on FGs, ranking 1st in the AAC in scoring, and hit a 54 yard FG in the bowl. Justin Fuente won AAC Coach of the Year. Memphis football was back!
1. 2019 (12-2 overall, 7-1 American)
This team was LOADED offensively. QB Brady White, the second year starting QB who transferred from Arizona State, could hand the ball off to future NFL RB Kenneth Gainwell, or throw to all-conference WR Damonte Coxie or future NFL players Antonio Gibson and Calvin Austin III. The year started strong with a 15-10 shutdown of Ole Miss, followed up by a 5-0 start. #23 Memphis lost in a 28-30 upset to Temple, but that’d be the Tigers’ last loss all regular season. With College GameDay attending, #24 Memphis beat #15 unbeaten SMU 54-48 in an absolute barnburner, Antonio Gibson going for 97 rushing yards, 130 receiving yards, 159 kick return yards, and 3 total TD. And he touched the ball just 12 times!!! That’s 386 yards on 12 touches! Memphis needed to win their final regular season game against #19 Cincinnati to make the American championship game, and grinded out a 34-24 win. The two would rematch a week later, and Cincinnati would give a better effort, but the Bearcats were too depleted at this point in the season, and Memphis scored a late TD to win 29-24 and claim their 2nd conference title in 5 years. #17 Memphis earned the Group of 5 slot for a New Years 6 bowl and played admirably against #10 Penn State, losing 39-53 in a fun game. The two were polar opposites, Memphis throwing for 479 yards and rushing for 53, while Penn State threw for 133 and rushed for 396.
Brady White finished 2nd Team all-conference, throwing for 4014 yards 33 TD 11 INT. He’d go on to finish his career a year later as Memphis’ all-time leading passer with 10,949 yards and 92 TD. Freshman RB Kenneth Gainwell had an unreal year, rushing for 1459 yards and 13 TD on 6.3 YPC while also catching 51 passes for 610 yards and 3 TD. WR Damonte Coxie was 2nd Team all-conference with 1276 receiving yards. Do-it-all WR Antonio Gibson put on a show all year long with 369 rushing yards and 4 TD on 11.2 YPC, 38 catches for 735 yards and 8 TD, and won AAC Special Teams POTY with 28 yards per kick return and a TD. Even TE Joey Magnifico was all-conference.
2019 Memphis is my 42nd best Group of 5 team since 1983.
5th Quarter
What play/player/game do you think of when you think of Memphis? Who was a better coach at Memphis, Justin Fuente or Mike Norvell? Fuente rescued Memphis from the depths they were in and built a solid foundation, while Norvell took it a step further, making a New Years 6 Bowl. How would you rank these QBs in college: Paxton Lynch, Riley Ferguson, and Brady White? How would you rank these RBs in college: DeAngelo Williams, Darrell Henderson, Tony Pollard, Kenneth Gainwell? What’d you think of those Fuente/Norvell teams that were beating top 25 teams on a yearly basis, were you scared of them? And how do you think Memphis should fare when it comes to conference expansion, are they a nice program to add?
Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years - Main Hub
