Thanksgiving night was certainly something Tulane wants to forget. After having an opportunity to make a major statement to close out their regular season with

Memphis beat Tulane on Thanksgiving Day. The win put the Tigers in the AP football rankings for the first time since 2000.

After knocking off No. 17 Tulane on the road to cap the regular season and secure the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in program history, the University of Memphis football team cracked the AP Poll Top 25 and remained ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll for a third-straight week.

Thanksgiving football brought some early clarity to the playoff race entering the final week of the regular season, and proved a damning moment for would-be Group of Five hopeful Tulane. All the Green Wave had to do was take out AAC challenger Memphis and put on a good show in the conference championship game to get the College Football Playoff selection committee’s attention.

Memphis dominated Tulane, illustrating the potential the Tigers flashed all season. It was a stark contrast with their losses this season.

Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) BetMGM College Football Odds: Tulane by 14. Series record: Memphis leads 24-15-1. WHAT’S AT STAKE? Tulane needs to win to host the AAC title game against Army and also must win to keep alive hope of getting a spot in the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

It’s been over four years, but the Memphis Tigers are finally back in the rankings. Memphis checks in at No. 25 in the Week 15 AP Poll after pulling off a 34-24 road victory over Tulane, which was ranked No.