I am a lurker and I would normally not bother posting but I could not let this one slide.
In my opinion, it is VERY hard to be successful at Memphis.
Like Atlanta, Memphis is a crossroads for the SEC. They have Ole Miss 86 miles away. The state of Arkansas, which the Hogs own, is across the Mississippi River - like the distance from BDS to Sun Trust Park - with a large Arkansas alumni base in Memphis. Speaking of which, Tennessee, the flagship school, was founded in 1794. Memphis was founded in 1912 - more than a bit of a headstart there in terms of alumni support and tradition - football or otherwise. Mississippi State is also not far away.
They play at an off campus stadium [the Liberty Bowl] with a 60k+ capacity that, if they're lucky, they draw 30k. There were 4,000 fans in attendance at their televised game vs. East Carolina in 2009. You thought there was alot of red in BDS in COFH this year? At Memphis, home games vs. the SEC opponents are road games. They sellout vs. Tennessee when UT comes to Memphis, which is not often, and that's about it.
Memphis doesn't draw on academics. Locals call it "Tiger High" due to low standards. And that's for kids who are NOT athletes.
They cheat but they even suck at that. The football program narrowly escaped the death penalty in 1989
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-08-04-sp-675-story.html.
Prior to the 2003 New Orleans Bowl, their only other bowl game in program history was the 1971 Pasadena Bowl. Remember that one vs. San Jose State? It drew 15,000 fans in the Rose Bowl(!). The most prestigious bowl the Memphis Tigers have been invited to before this season is a toss up between the Liberty Bowl last season (yes, their home stadium) vs. Iowa State and the Motor City Bowl in 2005 vs. Akron. Exciting!
The AAC per school member payouts are at a record high of just under $7m each. By way of comparison, ACC annual payouts were ~$27m prior to the launch of the ACC network. Think their recruiting braintrust is well funded? I think not. How about big money for a name coach and quality assistants? Nope. Neither Fed Ex nor the basketball program can bridge a $20m annual revenue gap.
So - given the above I don't see how it's not hard to be successful at Memphis. Your AAC peers are in the same spot you're in, EXCEPT Houston has big $$$, Navy has the TO and an elite education, UCF and USF have Florida. Cincy & Temple are in Big 10 land and lack a meaningful tradition, so maybe they're on equal footing. AAC is not a cakewalk for Memphis. So where are all those "better players" supposed to come from?
In my view, Memphis' most important asset is its small but loyal and passionate fan base. These people love Memphis football win or lose. I admire that given their long history of futility.
Norvell did an exceptional job at Memphis and at this rate I predict he'll also have great success at FSU.