2025 Memphis Football Predictions: Tigers Ranked 45th in RJ Young's Ultimate 136

This isn't your average college football ranking.

My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:

• Who do I think is good?
• Why do I think they're good?
• What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?

Here is a look at where Memphis lands in my Ultimate 136.

Memphis ranking: 45
Last year’s ranking: 37
Top player: DB Kamari Wilson: Played in 16 games over two seasons at Florida, playing the most snaps of any true freshman in FBS in 2022; played in 13 games for Arizona State last season.

[Memphis' 2025 schedule]

RJ's take: There's a lot riding on transfer QB Brendon Lewis, who threw for 2,290 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2024. However, this is his sixth year of college football and teams like Oregon and Louisville saw the benefit of that experience on the field last season. He’ll have a veteran in Greg Desrosiers Jr. in the backfield with him, but Lewis has also carried the ball more than 50 times in a season. The bet is that with more touches, Desrosiers will be something like Makhi Hughes was at Tulane last year: Desrosiers has averaged 7.5 yards per carry over the last two years with a small sample size.

Head coach Ryan Silverfield loaded up in the portal, especially defensively, with six new linebackers and 10 new defensive backs. Former Florida State safety Omarion Cooper could be the gem in this portal class on that side of the ball. Silverfield has won twice as many games as he has lost, going 42-21 in five years. Winning the American title this season is within reach, but the playoffs are not if they don't find a way to win at least 11 games in a slate where the Tigers’ toughest game is against Arkansas.

[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]

Memphis Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+108) Under 8.5 (-130)

Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.