Memphis football coach Charles Huff plainly laid out the task at hand.
"They are going to line up and bludgeon you for 60 minutes if you let them," he said in previewing Memphis' matchup against Boise State. "I was very clear with our team: If we don't play our best game of the year, we're going to lose. And if we go up there and fiddle-diddle around, we're going to get embarrassed. And I'm being dead honest. I don't believe in trying to pump up a team — it's a real football team. They should be a Power Four team, in my opinion."
The Tigers (2-0) will face the Broncos (0-1) on Sept. 12 (5 p.m. CT, USA Network) at Albertsons Stadium. Both teams are inching toward the Top 25 in the polls, and it's a game that could have major College Football Playoff
implications.
It's also a game that likely will be decided in the trenches. Huff used the word "bludgeon" three different times during his news conference on Sept. 8. And Boise State coach Spencer Danielson called Memphis' defensive front "vicious."
One way or another, there's a good chance this game will still be talked about in December.
Why the stakes are so high for Memphis vs Boise State
Every team in the Group of Six is competing for one CFP spot. Memphis and Boise State are probably the top two teams in contention for that as of mid-September, but things change fast when the margin for error is so small.
Boise State is 0-1, but the Broncos went to then-No. 2 Oregon and lost only 34-27. That performance will age well if Oregon is in the playoff picture when the final rankings come out in December.
Memphis doesn't have a power conference opponent on the schedule, but the Tigers won at UNLV in Week 0 and would have a major feather in their cap if they win at Boise State as well.
How a Memphis win would affect the rest of the Tigers' season
A win almost certainly would mean the Tigers control their destiny as it pertains to the playoff race. They entered the season at a disadvantage because of the schedule, with other teams (like Boise State at Oregon) able to earn more eye-popping wins against power conference opposition. But Memphis will have a more difficult schedule in conference play than teams in other conferences, and that'll matter by the end of the year.
There are teams in the American Conference that could go undefeated and have played power conference teams, but an undefeated Memphis would have a chance to play them in the conference title game.
Memphis' upcoming schedule means the Tigers aren't likely to be in another competitive game for a while. Next up is FCS-level UT Martin, followed by Charlotte and UAB — the bottom two teams in the American. If Memphis beats Boise State, it likely will be in the next polls and as the clubhouse leaders for the G6 playoff spot for a while.
How a Memphis loss would affect the rest of the Tigers' season
A loss on the road in Boise wouldn't end the Tigers' playoff hopes, but they would lose control of their own destiny.
If Boise State wins this game and runs the table, it's hard to see any scenario where Memphis gets into the CFP. There are still months to go before the playoff field is set, though.
While a rule tweak means the G6 playoff team doesn't have to be a conference champion, it's still more likely than not to happen. If Memphis gets to the conference title game, it at least might be in the conversation heading into the conference championship week.
Huff made it clear at the beginning of his tenure at Memphis that the conference title is the goal. What happens in Boise won't affect that, though it will affect how Memphis is talked about around the country for the next few months.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why stakes are so high for Memphis football in Boise State matchup
