Herbstreit indicates support for 'College Gameday' at Smu-memphis
Memphis fans will have to wait until Saturday to find out what time the Tigers will host No. 17 SMU on Nov. 2.
The AAC announced Monday that game will kick off at either 2:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. The time and network will be finalized Saturday after the conclusion of Memphis' game at Tulsa (6 p.m., CBS SN).
If Smu-memphis kicks off at 2:30, the game will be on ABC or ESPN. If kickoff is at 6:30 p.m., the game will be on ABC.
A win by both the No. 25 Tigers (6-1, 2-1) and SMU (7-0, 3-0), which faces Houston on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN), would set up a pivotal AAC West showdown with SMU a game ahead of
Memphis in the standings.
Adding to the potential intrigue: Is the game a candidate to host ESPN'S "College Gameday"?
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit lent his support to the idea by replying to Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto's tweet wondering whether Herbstreit and play-by-play man Chris Fowler would call the Memphis-smu game, assuming both teams win this weekend.
"Let's do it!" Herbstreit replied, adding a crossed fingers emoji.
Of the games scheduled for next week, No. 9 Georgia vs. No. 8 Florida in Jacksonville is the only game currently featuring two opponents ranked in the Top 25. Other "College Gameday" candidates could be Utah at Washington or Oregon at USC.
Next week's game could be a rare showdown at Liberty Bowl Memorial
Stadium. Only once has Memphis hosted a ranked opponent while also being ranked as well. That was in 2015, when the No. 22 Tigers upset No. 12 Ole Miss 37-24.
Yet for all the speculation, both Memphis and SMU have to take care of business this week. Memphis coach Mike Norvell refused to look ahead as has been his approach all season.
"You talk about the polls, more of this or what games are on the horizon. The game on the horizon is Tulsa," Norvell said Monday. "This is a football team that if we don't go play at an extremely high level, we will get beat. That's the reality of it."
You can reach Tigers football beat writer Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com