They're not quite sure what to do at Memphis, short of taking out billboard ads in Dallas-Fort Worth, Kansas City, and any other major locale in the Big 12 footprint. The Tigers desperately want to get into a Power 5 conference and were more than a bit miffed when they were bypassed in the latest round of expansion. The Big 12 opted for three others (Cincinnati, USF, and Houston), plus BYU, and ignore the Tigers, who think they ought to have received a call. Sources tell us Memphis has been close. The school has some undeniable appeal in a relatively good-sized market, with a viable stadium (Liberty) and arena (FedEx Forum), plus heavyweight corporate support with local FedEx and founder Fred Smith as key benefactors. There's also the Elvis factor, with Graceland in town, and the old home of Stax Records, and no better BBQ can be found than in the alley at the Rendezvous. So the city also checks the boxes for proper cool, even as the Tigers remain an also-ran in the conference expansion race...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Memphis' 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the AAC season.

AAC preview: Conference winner | Charlotte | East Carolina | Florida Atlantic | Memphis | Navy | North Texas | Rice | SMU | South Florida | Temple | Tulane | Tulsa | UAB | UTSA

2023 Memphis at a glance

• Last Year: 7-6 SU, 7-6 ATS, 8-5 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 5; Defense 5
• Win total: 7.5 (Over -160, Under +120)

What do you need to know about Memphis before locking in your AAC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see AAC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!