Memphis head coach Mike Norvell has brought the city College Gameday

The City of Memphis, TN is being welcoming the biggest roadshow in college football this weekend to its historic Beal Street entertainment district.

ESPN’s circus we love deemed “College Gameday” will be propped up adjacent to BB King’s Blues Club and the Rum Boogie Café.

Putting it bluntly, the Saturday morning program is taking the Bluff City by storm because of one man, Memphis Tiger head coach Mike Norvell.

The former Central Arkansas wide receiver could arguably be the hottest coach in the country as his #24 Tigers host undefeated #15 SMU as the prime time game on ABC with the No. 1 crew of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.

Let that sink in for a moment.

A program that its rivals coined the term “Tiger High” is anything but under the direction of Norvell. In just 2 seasons, he’s 15-5 in the regular season, including a 31-30 loss to then unranked UCF on national television.

To put things into perspective, a few years ago, head coach Larry Porter finished 2 seasons by winning just 3 games total. In 1996, when the Tigers grabbed its biggest win in program history by beating the #6 Tennessee in Memphis, the Tigers finished the season winning only 4 games under head coach Rip Scherer.

Just how big of a win for what was a hapless program? Scherer would finish with an overall record of 22-44 having never had a winning season.

Current Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente turned the success he had in Memphis into his current job where he is 5-2 and looks to lead the Hokies to the postseason again. At Memphis, he had unprecedented success, leading the Tigers to its first bowl game since the 2008 season. Fuente, who would finish with a 26-24 overall record, was the first coach to have a winning record as the schools head coach since Fred Pancoast, dating back to the 1972-1974 seasons, finishing 20-12-1.

In just his 3^rd season on the job, with 4 regular season games remaining, Norvell has a record of 23-12, good enough for 7^th in Tiger history. In regards to percentages, he 2^nd in school history behind Billy Murphy with a winning percentage of .657. Should Norvell finish strong, he could eclipse Murphy’s percentage at .673.

As the season comes down the stretch, Norvell will be the only Tiger skipper in program history to lead Memphis to a bowl game in each season he’s coached.

This could be the season to find Memphis in a bowl game deemed the biggest in program history. This season alone, Memphis has Houston, USF and Cincinatti left on the schedule, not including a possible American Conference championship game in play. With a win over Navy and a possible win this Saturday, the Tigers would be in perfect position.

All of this, of course, is because of Mike Norvell. A coach who has recruited at a high level his entire tenure.

Memphis is a program that celebrates coaches like Tommy West for taking the program to its first bowl game in 32-years and produced one of the schools greatest player in running back Deangelo Williams.

West finished with an overall record of 49-61 in 9 seasons.

While the season is ongoing, the biggest stage in ESPN College Gameday is in two, prime time television with Fowler and Herbstreit on ABC will be inside the Liberty Bowl on Saturday night and the man walking on the sideline is the reason for it all.

A program that has celebrated mediocrity for years can now celebrate success.