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Memphis football bowl projections include Tigers headed for AutoZone Liberty Bowl rematch
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- Memphis football bowl projections include Tigers headed for AutoZone Liberty Bowl rematch
For the sixth straight season, Memphis football is not going to the American Conference title game.
The Tigers (8-3, 4-3 American Conference) lost back-to-back games to Tulane and ECU and now have one regular-season game remaining against Navy on Thanksgiving Day (6:30 p.m., ESPN). Memphis will play in a bowl game after that and will still have a shot to get to double-digit wins for the third-straight season.
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But where will the Tigers go?
Here our some early bowl projections.
ESPN: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Iowa State
Both ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura have the exact same pick for Memphis — a de facto home game against Iowa State at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. This would be a rematch of the games from 2023 and 2017, which would be a rarity for a bowl game.
But it's very possible. The Liberty Bowl has tie-ins with the Big 12 and the SEC. If there aren't enough SEC bowl-eligible teams to fill all the conference's bowl slots, the game can choose a team from the American Conference. Because Memphis is the local team, having the Tigers in the game would lead to more ticket sales and interest than any other conference team.
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It would not matter where Memphis finishes in the conference. In 2023, SMU won the conference title and the Liberty Bowl still chose Memphis over the Mustangs.
Right now, there are 10 bowl-eligible SEC teams. Kentucky, Auburn and Mississippi State are all alive but unlikely to get there. There were five SEC teams in the projected playoff field in the last rankings reveal, which means the SEC would have multiple bowl tie-ins that it won't be able to fill.
On3: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Cincinnati
On3's Brett McMurphy has Memphis staying home, too. But he's projecting the Tigers to face a different opponent in Cincinnati.
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This would be the first time the two teams have met since Cincinnati left the American for the Big 12 in 2023.
The Athletic: Birmingham Bowl vs. Duke
Memphis is 0-2 all-time against the Blue Devils, and the Tigers are also 0-2 in the Birmingham Bowl. This would give the Tigers an opportunity to face a power conference opponent with a familiar quarterback, as Memphis faced Darian Mensah when he was with Tulane in 2024.
CBS Sports: Birmingham Bowl vs. Duke
CBS has the exact same projection as The Athletic for this game.
Sports Illustrated: First Responder Bowl vs. Cal
Memphis went to this bowl game in 2022 and beat Utah State. This would be the first-ever meeting between Memphis and Cal.
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Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football bowl projections after Week 12 loss to East Carolina
