Two AAC contenders rebuilt from the studs up meet in a Friday night game that'll tell us a lot about who actually replaced what they lost.
Bush’s Picks
MEMTULN
MEMTULN
OverUnder
Best BetTulane
Tulane opens as the preseason favorite to top the American, and that mostly comes down to defensive continuity — a unit that held teams under 24 points a game last year isn't rebuilding from zero the way Memphis's is. Memphis has more raw uncertainty at quarterback, which is a tough spot to be in on the road against a team that at least knows its coordinator's scheme.
Memphis
+Dallan Hayden brings proven 1,185-yard rushing production
+Charles Huff has a track record of quick turnarounds
+Guidry adds LSU defensive staff experience at coordinator
−Lost 21 of 22 starters, most roster turnover in FBS
−QB competition still unresolved between two transfers
−Brand new defense with almost no returning pieces
Tulane
+Preseason pick to top the American Conference
+Defense returns continuity, held foes to 23.9 ppg in '25
+Jamauri McClure gives a proven, ascending backfield piece
−Will Hall unproven as a head coach, 14-30 at Southern Miss
−Lost 9 of 12 all-conference selections off 11-win team
−Semonza unproven as a runner, limits offensive floor
This is as close to a blind date as college football gets. Memphis brings in Charles Huff off a 7-5 turnaround job at Southern Miss, and he inherited a Tigers roster that lost 21 of 22 starters to the portal and graduation. Tulane counters with a first-time head coach of its own in Will Hall, promoted after Jon Sumrall bolted for Florida, replacing 9 of 12 all-conference picks from an 11-win team. Neither program looks anything like it did in 2025, and that's exactly what makes a Friday, October 16 meeting in New Orleans worth circling months out.
Memphis handed its backfield to transfer Dallan Hayden, who's rushed for 1,185 yards and 8 touchdowns in his career, while the quarterback race is wide open between newcomers Marcus Stokes and Air Noland after Brendon Lewis exhausted his eligibility. Lance Guidry, fresh off a year on LSU's defensive staff, is trying to build a defense from close to scratch as Huff's coordinator. Tulane's answer up front is sophomore running back Jamauri McClure, and the Green Wave defense has a real head start there, having held opponents to 23.9 points a game a year ago even with the roster turnover at every level.
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MEM Memphis
TULN Tulane
Preseason league projections actually have Tulane pegged to top the American, with Memphis bunched right behind as one of the conference's other contenders, so the market and the prognosticators are treating this as a game between two teams expected to be in the mix come November, not a get-right spot for either side.
The quarterback picture matters as much as anything here. Tulane's presumptive frontrunner, Kadin Semonza, led the MAC with 24 touchdown passes two years ago but isn't much of a runner, which could put extra weight on McClure and the ground game if Memphis's new-look front seven gives him trouble. Memphis, meanwhile, still hasn't settled its own QB competition, and how that shakes out over fall camp will shape whether Huff's offense is ready to hang with a Tulane team that at least knows its offensive identity.
Memphis Tigers
Oct 9?vs UAB—
Oct 2?@ Charlotte—
Sep 19?vs UT Martin—
Sep 12?@ Boise State—
Sep 5?vs Arkansas State—
Aug 29?@ UNLV—
Tulane Green Wave
Oct 10?@ Army—
Sep 25?vs Southern Miss—
Sep 19?@ Kansas State—
Sep 12?vs South Alabama—
Sep 5?@ Duke—
Recent form.
Neither staff has had a real game to lean on yet, so expect early-season injury and depth-chart news out of both camps to move a lot between now and kickoff. This is one of those matchups where the transfer portal grades from July mean less than who's actually healthy and executing come mid-October.
Memphis Tigers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Tulane Green Wave
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Bowl eligibility is the shared subtext. Memphis is chasing a 13th straight bowl trip and its first American title game appearance since 2019, while Tulane is trying to prove last year's conference-title level wasn't a one-off tied to Sumrall. Whoever looks more competent running its new coach's scheme by mid-October will have the early edge in that race.
