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Navy dashes Memphis' playoff dreams, alters AAC outlook
Memphis was rudely awakened from its College Football Playoff dream Saturday night.
The Tigers, who entered the weekend 8-0 and ranked 13th in the initial playoff rankings, were run over by Navy 45-20 in front of their home crowd, putting an end to Memphis' bid to crash the four-team playoff from the lesser-noticed American Athletic Conference in the system's second year.
With Memphis' loss, it is likely that the highest-ranked "Group of Five" team in the new rankings will be Temple (also out of the AAC), which lost to Notre Dame last week but was No. 22 in the initial playoff rankings, or possibly Houston, another AAC team and one that is still unbeaten at 8-0 after holding off Cincinnati on Saturday. The Cougars, though, who were ranked 25th after the playoff committee's initial meeting last week, might have had their chance to grab the national spotlight taken away along with the Tigers' loss; Houston and Memphis play next Saturday, and a win over another undefeated team would have gone a long way for either one in the playoff conversation.
The conversation now will turn to the New Year's Six bowl games and which non-Power 5 team will earn an automatic berth as the highest-ranked team. And, while all the talk prior to this week focused on Memphis and (to a lesser extent) Houston, Navy is now 7-1 overall and in first place in the AAC West at 4-0, ahead of Memphis. The Midshipmen play at Houston on Nov. 27, and they play rival Army on Dec. 12, a week after the final playoff rankings and bowl selections are scheduled to be revealed, which could create a difficult dilemma for the playoff committee.
Also going down with Memphis' playoff hopes was the Heisman candidacy of quarterback Paxton Lynch, who had entered the discussion as the Tigers gained national exposure. Lynch threw for 305 yards in the loss but had just one touchdown, tied for his season low, and threw an interception.
Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, meanwhile, remained tied for the FBS record for career rushing touchdowns with 77. His next rushing TD will break the record, which he currently shares with former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball.
The loss aside, Memphis has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround under fourth-year coach Justin Fuente. The Tigers, who won three games combined in the two seasons prior to Fuente's arrival, went 10-3 last season and appear headed for another double-digit-win year. But the schedule doesn't get any easier in the coming weeks: After visiting Houston next week, Memphis then goes on the road to Temple before finishing the season at home against SMU.
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