Memphis opens its 2026 season with a tricky Week 0 trip to face UNLV, and the matchup comes with plenty of run-game firepower on both sides.
The Tigers are trying to shake off a rough finish to 2025. They dropped their final four games, and that skid ended with a 31-7 bowl loss to NC State. Now they turn the page against a Rebels team that was one step away from a conference title last year, falling to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game.
There’s also a very different look to the Mountain West heading into this season. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State have left for the Pac-12, while UTEP, North Dakota State, and Northern Illinois have joined the league. That leaves the conference wide open, and UNLV is in position to try to finish the job without Boise State standing in the way.
The Rebels’ offense should still run through Jai'Den Thomas. He was sixth in the nation last season among running backs with at least 80 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush and piling up 985 rushing yards in the regular season.
He also scored 12 touchdowns, tied for the 29th-most in the country. Thomas is back for his senior year, and UNLV will lean on him again.
Memphis, though, brings back a quarterback who can make life difficult for that defense. Brendon Lewis returns after rushing for 665 yards last season, and the Tigers also added Dallan Hayden through the transfer portal after he averaged 4.7 yards per carry at Colorado last year. Even with Sutton Smith gone, Memphis still has enough on the ground to make this a real test.
What stands out most is the defensive split in the trenches. Memphis ranked 18th in the country in opponent EPA per rush last season, while UNLV checked in at 127th in the same category. With both teams featuring major turnover from last year’s rosters, that edge on the Memphis side is hard to ignore.
That’s why Memphis looks like the right side as a road underdog in Week 0.
In Other News...
Memphis Just Lost A Notable Home Game For A Frustrating Reason
Mississippi States move to a 9-game SEC schedule has reshaped more than its own calendar, and Memphis is feeling the ripple effect. The Bulldogs have canceled the road portion of previously scheduled home-and-home series with Memphis, Southern Miss and Tulane, turning each matchup into a single home game for Mississippi State while adding replacement home games against Louisiana Tech and Troy.
For Memphis, the frustrating part is that this is not just another scheduling shuffle. The Tigers are losing a home game with no payout attached because of a contract clause tied to the SECs schedule expansion, leaving them to absorb the hit without the usual financial cushion that often softens a cancellation. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Keeps Its Biggest Preseason Question Alive Before UNLV
The biggest preseason question around Memphis is still hanging in the air as the Tigers move toward their opener against UNLV. Head coach Charles Huff said in a press conference that he does not plan to publicly reveal the starting quarterback before the game, leaving the competition between West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes and South Carolina transfer Air Noland unresolved for now.
Huff also pointed out that Memphis is not the only team dealing with uncertainty, noting that UNLV coach Dan Mullen has not named a starter either. For both sides, that means the final stretch of prep will come with limited clarity at the most important position, and the Tigers will head into game week still sorting out a decision that could shape the tone of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Has A Week 0 Edge UNLV May Not Handle
Memphis enters Week 0 with a matchup that should put its biggest defensive strength right in the center of the game plan. The Tigers were one of the countrys better run-stopping teams a year ago, and that matters against an UNLV offense that will be trying to settle in under new leadership and find answers early in the season. If Memphis can control the line of scrimmage the way it did last fall, it can make the Rebels spend too much of the night chasing the game instead of dictating it.
UNLV still has offseason changes to sort through, and that uncertainty is part of what makes this opener tricky to project from its side. Memphis does not need a flashy offensive script to create separation if its front seven handles business, but the Rebels will be hoping to show they are more organized and more reliable than the early skepticism suggests. For a Week 0 game that already carries a little extra intrigue, the first real test may be whether UNLV can hold up against the one area Memphis should trust most. [Read more 🡒]