Why Not Memphis? Tigers Have Clear Path to College Football Playoff

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Why Not Memphis? Tigers Have Clear Path to College Football Playoff

Thomas Neumann · Athlon Sports

Sun, Sep 28, 2025 ·

4 min read

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BOCA RATON, Fla. — Don't look now, but the Memphis Tigers have an inside track to the College Football Playoff.

A week after stunning SEC foe Arkansas , the Tigers avoided a trap game on national television against scrappy Florida Atlantic , beating the Owls 55-26 before 17,733 fans at Flagler Credit Union Stadium on Saturday night.

But don't mention the CFP to the Tigers just yet.

"We are far, far away from even thinking about that," Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield said after the game. "That is the furthest thing on my mind, and that's not coach speak. … I can't even fathom that. All I care about is learning and growing from this game and then putting the blinders on and 100% focusing on Tulsa [next week's opponent]."

The Tigers (5-0, 1-0 American Conference) are arguably the best Group of 5 team at present. Their undefeated start seems like a logical progression, considering Memphis won 21 games over the two previous seasons. But it's especially impressive considering the Tigers welcomed more than 70 new players to their program this season.

Although the Tigers will have to contend with a highly competitive American Conference race, they have everything in front of them. Each of their three toughest remaining games — against South Florida (3-1, 0-0), Tulane (4-1, 1-0) and Navy (4-0, 3-0) — are at home. They will avoid North Texas (5-0, 1-0) entirely unless they meet the Mean Green in the American Conference Championship Game.

Memphis Tigers football coach Ryan Silverfield speaks to reporters after his team's win over Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Florida, on Sept. 27, 2025.Thomas Neumann / Athlon Sports

Memphis tailback Greg Desrosiers Jr. rumbled for 204 yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard touchdown run, and quarterback Brendon Lewis threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 94 yards and two scores. Cortez Braham Jr. caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Memphis improved its winning streak to nine consecutive games, the longest current streak among the nation's 136 FBS teams . Additionally, The Tigers have now scored 20-plus points in 45 consecutive games, also the longest streak in the nation.

"I think that needs to be our standard — that we need to put up 40, 50-plus points a game," Lewis said.

The Tigers sealed the win when Desrosiers scored on a 1-yard thrust with 2:02 left. His third touchdown of the game, it matched his season total from last year. FAU's Asaad Waseem then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, setting up a 15-yard touchdown run by Lewis to account for the final score.

Memphis stole the momentum with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Braham with 9:32 left. That pivotal play came just two plays after FAU (1-3, 0-1) had cut the lead to 31-26 with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Xavier Terrell.

It was Desrosiers who authored the play of the game early in the third quarter, bursting through the middle of the line on third-and-1 and then sprinting 90 yards for a touchdown.

"I saw basically the parting of the Red Sea by my O-linemen," Desrosiers said. "You know, they did a great job. … And then I saw open grass, so I just turned the burners on a little bit, and the rest was history."

Memphis Tigers quarterback Brendon Lewis looks to pass the ball against the Chattanooga Mocs at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Memphis endured a scare midway through the second quarter when Lewis sustained a hard hit near midfield at the conclusion of an 8-yard run. He missed four plays before returning to throw an incompletion on a fourth-and-6.

"I should have run the ball better, run stronger, run hard," Lewis said. "I got more vertical instead of trying to go horizontal, but [the defender] kind of hit my shoulder. I got a little stinger, but it's nothing serious."

Memphis' offense racked up 487 total yards and seven touchdowns on its way to 55 points. The defense allowed 80 plays and 397 total yards, yet stiffened in the clutch. At 5-0, the Tigers are confident — but not overconfident.

"We're going to carry our confidence," Desrosiers said. "We're going to carry our momentum into the next game. But again, we're very level-headed, and we're going to go into practice and make sure that we don't underestimate any opponent."

Meantime, Silverfield is keenly focused on the process with his eyes on a potential American Conference title.

"The buy-in from these guys, the all-in approach, their attitude, the little things that we love, the way they play, it gets put on display for the country to see Saturday after Saturday after Saturday, and that's what I'm so proud of," Silverfield said.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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