Memphis’ 2023 schedule is good for Silverfield’s future
Now that Memphis football’s full 2023 schedule is out, the Tigers and their fans can start planning trips and figure out expectations for the fall. But the immediate takeaways seem promising for coach Ryan Silverfield as he enters a pivotal fourth year on the job.
Six of the Tigers’ opponents have first-year coaches. The Tigers have an early off week in October. Three of their five true road games are against opponents coming off three-win seasons. They also host South Florida, a team that has won only four total games in the past three seasons.
What does that mean?
It means the Tigers have a clear path to get right, and that’s a good sign for Silverfield’s future.
College football analyst Phil Steele recently released his strength of schedule rankings based on the win-loss record of a team’s opponents last season. The Tigers’ opponents had the fifth-worst combined win percentage at 42.8% and only four opponents had records above .500 in 2022.
The transfer portal has complicated how much weight to put on last season’s record. But it does feel like the Tigers are poised to recover from going 13-12 the last two seasons.
The American Athletic Conference is a weaker conference without Houston, Cincinnati and Central Florida. The Tigers host defending AAC champion Tulane and SMU, two teams expected to contend for the title this season. As Steele noted, the Tigers’ home winning percentage in the last five seasons (excluding the Covid-influenced 2020 campaign) is 83.5%, which is tied for 17th in the country.
The toughest stretch for Memphis? Missouri and Boise State in consecutive weeks. The toughest road game this season? Perhaps UAB, which is 29-4 at home since the start of 2017. It also starts a stretch where Memphis travels to North Texas, hosts USF and goes to Charlotte.
Memphis is 3-11 in road games under Silverfield but all three of those upcoming road games feature first-year head coaches. Trent Dilfer (UAB) and Biff Poggi (Charlotte) are also first-time college head coaches.
Fans will scoff at few marquee home games: Boise State and defending Cotton Bowl champion Tulane. That lack
of star power is a concern after last season’s average attendance was the lowest since 2012. But the schedule is a gift for Silverfield after he faced criticism during last season’s 7-6 campaign.
The Tigers don’t face UTSA, which won the last two C-USA championships before joining the AAC. SMU has lost its last four games in Memphis. Tulane hasn’t beaten Memphis on the road since 1998. Those are among the advantages that should help Silverfield navigate the pressure he’s facing.
If the Tigers can win eight or more games and be in AAC contention as November
arrives, Silverfield’s seat cools off. With this schedule, those are reasonable goals even if Memphis struggles with Missouri and Boise State.
If Memphis hovers around .500 again, then the noise around Silverfield gets loud again. But on paper, a favorable schedule could be just what Silverfield needs to convince fans the program is back on an upward trajectory.