Memphis football didn’t crack the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, but the Tigers still got noticed.
The Tigers picked up nine voting points, which put them essentially at No. 43 in the initial ranking. That made Memphis the American Conference team with the most points, even though no Group of Six program made the Top 25.
A few Group of Six schools did earn votes ahead of Memphis. Boise State led that group with 24 points, followed by UNLV with 17. James Madison checked in with six, New Mexico with four, Navy and Western Michigan with three apiece, San Diego State with two, and Hawaii and Jacksonville State with one each.
Memphis will see two of the Group of Six teams that finished ahead of it in the vote. The Tigers are scheduled to play Boise State and UNLV on the road this season.
At the top of the poll, Ohio State claimed the No. 1 spot. Oregon came in at No. 2, followed by Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame.
The rest of the top 25 opened with Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Ole Miss, then Alabama, Texas Tech, LSU, Southern Cal and BYU. Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Washington, SMU, Utah, Iowa, Clemson, Houston and Missouri rounded out the rankings.
Among the teams that fell out from the final 2025 poll were Vanderbilt, Virginia, Tulane, James Madison, Navy, Georgia Tech and Illinois.
Memphis coach Charles Huff is among the voters for the 2026 season.
The Tigers open their 2026 schedule at UNLV on Aug. 29.