Sorry, Hugh Freeze: Memphis Football Is For Real

Just after Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch finished throwing for 384 yards against the Ole Miss defense in a 37-24 win this weekend, Rebels coach Hugh Freeze couldn't remember Lynch's name.

Freeze, who had coached Arkansas State to a 47-3 victory over Memphis in 2011, congratulated "Patrick Lynch" twice during his postgame press conference—and while that probably had nothing to do with a lack of scouting the previous week, it fits the narrative around the upstart Tigers quite well.

Namely, who the hell are those guys?

Make no mistake: this was a major upset, both in magnitude and on style points. Yes, Ole Miss has looked human this year, but the Rebels beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa and still have a shot at winning the SEC West. Ole Miss is a pretty good team, a top contender in a power conference, and boy did Memphis beat 'em good.

Forget the standard college football upset template: underdog gets a few lucky breaks, then holds on at the very end, with everyone in the stadium knowing full well that the favored team would win if they just had one more possession. This was different. This was an ass-whoopin'. Ole Miss scored the first 14 points of the game. Memphis scored the next 31. That isn't luck.

The win vaulted Memphis into the national polls. The Tigers are ranked No. 17, have a 6-0 record, and now their toughest game is behind them. It isn't too early for Memphis fans to ask: Just how far can this season go, and where is this team heading in the long term?

Memphis' rise has been meteoric—a cliché that, in this case, fits. Coach Justin Fuente took over a 2-10 team in 2011; although he showed promise, the Tigers finished 4-8 in 2012 and 3-9 in 2013. Then they started winning. Memphis jumped to 10-3 last year, the school's first 10-win season since, well, ever. College football nerds knew that the Tigers might be formidable in 2015, but the program didn't have a signature win to grab everyone else's attention.

After this past weekend, they do.

In the short term, Memphis' best-case scenario is an undefeated season and a trip to a New Year's Six bowl. However, there's a glimmer of hope that the Tigers could be a College Football Playoff participant, which would be astounding. Teams from the American Athletic Conference aren't supposed to make the final four, but Memphis arguably could end up with as many quality wins as some of the power conference playoff contenders. The Tigers already own victories against Cincinnati and Ole Miss, and they still have opportunities to win games against Navy, No. 21 Houston, and No. 22 Temple.

The long-term picture is less clear but, again, there is reason for hope. On the one hand, Fuente likely will have job offers from every power conference school looking for a new coach; on the other, Memphis is well positioned for ongoing success even if Fuente leaves. The Tigers aren't a plucky upstart with a tiny budget. Memphis has enjoyed major success in other sports—the men's basketball team reached the national title game in 2007—and ranks 55th nationally in total athletic revenue according to USA Today, just behind current football No. 3 Utah.

Memphis has the resources to be a legitimate power in the AAC, and if Fuente or his successor can put together a few more seasons like this one, the school could have staying power—the kind of staying power that gets you the benefit of the doubt to be ranked in the preseason, and the kind that ensures opposing coaches will know your quarterback's first name.