As the Memphis Tigers chase a spot in the College Football Playoff, The Daily Memphian will keep track of notable Group of Five teams each week.

ESPN college football expert Paul Finebaum answers The Daily Memphian’s questions after Week 2 games.

It’s the first time Memphis has been ranked in the Coaches Poll since the 2020 season. But the Tigers remain unranked in the AP Top 25.

The Memphis running back room put on a strong performance for Sutton Smith, who suffered a season-ending injury in the Tigers’ season-opener. 

Coach Ryan Silverfield’s Memphis Tigers football team is doing some good things, but its success seems lost in the distraction of a basketball program in disarray.

The Memphis Grizzlies star and his father, Tee, were watching from behind the end zone when right guard Jonah Gambill walked over to high-five them after a touchdown. Center Trent Holler celebrated with a Ja Morant chest bump.

Smith suffered what appeared to be a lower-body injury near the end of the first quarter of last week’s 40-0 win against North Alabama.

Box score for Saturday’s NCAA college football game between the University of Memphis Tigers and Troy University Trojans.

The Tigers never trailed while playing in front of an announced crowd of 23,246 fans, which included members of the 1993 football team. 

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Box score: Memphis 38, Troy 17

Seeing Ja Morant in the stands gives Tigers a rush

The quarterback is in his final year as a Tiger, and he’s already broken multiple career records while chasing other milestones in the Memphis and American Athletic conference record books. 

Scott said Memphis has not gotten an update from the NCAA regarding the case stemming from Malcolm Dandridge’s eligibility status, whose findings Scott confirmed the Tigers self-reported to the NCAA.

The Tigers are almost a three-touchdown favorite, but Saturday will still be a step up from the FCS competition it faced in the 40-0 victory over North Alabama.

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The Tigers face Troy this weekend, but it will likely be without Sutton Smith. And people are already talking about the Florida State game in two weeks.

Dollars are flowing in since Ed Scott’s late-June hiring and his late-July arrival as the Memphis Tigers’ new athletic director.

Memphis running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. said he believes he has an advantage on the football field very few have. Being a decathlete gives him a unique skillset.

Memphis athletic director Ed Scott says his biggest concern is sales of single-game tickets. But the Tigers are also projecting more than $750,000 in lost revenue due to the ongoing Liberty Stadium renovation.

For a quarterback with 38 career starts under his belt, a voice in the ear isn’t always necessary. 

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Memphis football is close but still not ranked in AP, Coaches polls

The Memphis Tigers remain unranked but received the most votes of any Group of Five team in the Coaches Poll and the second-most in the AP Top 25.

As the Memphis Tigers chase a spot in the College Football Playoff, The Daily Memphian will keep track of notable Group of Five teams each week.

After analyzing a season-opening win over North Alabama, Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said there are a few things he wants cleaned up. 

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Memphis playoff chase: Tracking top Group of Five teams

With running back Sutton Smith injured in a season-opening win over North Alabama, South Carolina transfer Mario Anderson must step up in a big way for the Memphis Tigers.

“He did get hurt, doesn’t look great,” coach Ryan Silverfield said about Memphis running back Sutton Smith’s injury in the first quarter.

Memphis crushed North Alabama in their first game at the Liberty Hole, also known as Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The place looked really strange. But in a good way.

NCAA box score for Saturday’s college football game between the Memphis Tigers and the North Alabama Lions.

After beating North Alabama 59-0 two years ago, the Tigers forced another shutout Saturday as they won their season opener at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

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Box score: Memphis 40, North Alabama 0