Memphis football's season opener is inching closer, but the Tigers aren't focused on that yet.
Memphis is still in the midst of preseason practices, and the Tigers won't officially start their UNLV prep until about 10 days before the game on Aug. 29 (9 p.m. CT, FOX).
“Right now, we’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to take care of," coach Charles Huff said after practice on Aug. 5. "Sun Tzu says you’ve got to know yourself before you know your opponent to win the war. So we’re still learning who we are. And today was a good day to learn about ourselves. We can push through."
The Tigers are still focused on figuring out who they are, obviously. Memphis has an almost entirely new roster and will have new starters at basically every position as Huff
and his new-look coaching staff take over the program.
Unlike the past few years, though, Memphis won't start the season with a game at home against an FCS opponent. The UNLV game could have legitimate College Football Playoff implications.
“They’re all big," Huff said. "If we go beat UNLV and we lose every other game, no one will care. They’re all big. They’re a good team. There’s a lot of good teams on our schedule."
The UNLV game takes place during Week 0, so it'll almost certainly be the most-watched game Memphis plays in during the regular season. It'll also be unique for another reason — the game inside Allegiant Stadium will be the only one Memphis plays this season indoors.
And the Tigers are training in the Memphis heat ahead of what's expected to be a steamy home opener against Arkansas State on Sept. 5.
“Coach (Nick) Saban used to always say, if you’re going to fight in the Sahara, you’ve got to train in the Sahara," Huff said. "So we’ve got to be able to train."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Charles Huff cited Sun Tzu, Nick Saban after Memphis football practice
