Memphis defeated Cincinnati, 29-23, on Saturday night to win the American Athletic Conference Championship.
With the win, the Tigers have all but wrapped up a spot in the Cotton Bowl and has virtually sealed a Cure Bowl bid for the Flames. We will find out officially on Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m.
The highrest ranked Group of Five conference champion gets an automatic bid into the Cotton Bowl. The Tigers entered the weekend ranked #17, with Cincinnati just behind them at #20. Mountain West champion Boise State is ranked #19; the Broncos defeated Hawaii, 31-10, on Saturday to win the MWC.
Sun Belt champ, Appalachian State, defeated Louisiana 45-38 Saturday afternoon. They entered the week ranked #21.
With Memphis’ win, the only team of the group to defeat a ranked opponent this weekend, they should remain ahead of both Boise State and Appalachian State when they updated ranks are announced on Sunday afternoon.
If Memphis is in the Cotton Bowl, it will leave the AAC one spot short of filling all of its bowl slots. Liberty, with its secondary agreement with the Cure Bowl, will more than likely slide into the game which is played in Orlando, Florida on December 21st. The Flames would face a team from the Sun Belt.
There are rumors circulating that UCF, an AAC member, is lobbying hard for the Cure Bowl. If that is accurate, it would be hard for the Cure Bowl to pass up on their backyard neighbor as they could likely sell out the stadium on their own.
