Memphis football is back in the Bluff City — with a cool $1.3 million and a critical Power Four win.

The Tigers (3-0) went to Tallahassee and dispatched Florida State (0-3), jumping out to a 20-3 lead in an eventual 20-12 win at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday afternoon. In the process, Memphis stayed undefeated and earned a win over former Tigers coach Mike Norvell. It was Memphis' first true road win against a power conference team in more than nine years.

The win has fans dreaming of an American Athletic Conference title and a berth in the College Football Playoff. Though the Seminoles came in winless, they were still favored by a touchdown and came in to the season ranked No. 10 in the country. With the win, Memphis might be favored in every game the rest of the season.

So, exactly how impressive was Saturday's performance? And what does it mean moving forward? Here are our overreactions.

Memphis is going to the College Football Playoff

This isn't necessarily and overreaction, per se — the Tigers are one of the (if not the) top Group of Five teams in the country. UNLV has been impressive, with two road wins over Big 12 teams, and Northern Illinois is undefeated with a road win over Notre Dame. But Memphis is in an ideal spot.

Sure, it would be good for Memphis' résumé if FSU finds a way to turn its season around. That would make Saturday's win matter even more when the committee is comparing résumés at the end of the season.

But everything is in front of the Tigers right now. Even it's dealt one loss, Memphis likely will be right in the thick of the playoff race in early December.

The Tigers' defense isn't just passable — it's the strength of the team

Memphis is supposed to be known for offense. That's how it was under Norvell. That's how it has been under Silverfield, especially last season when the Tigers had one of the top-scoring offenses in the country.

Defense has been a struggle. It's what let Memphis down last season and what everyone knew needed to improve for the Tigers to take a step forward in 2024.

Improvement might be an understatement. Jordon Hankins' unit has been Memphis' strength, full stop, through three weeks of the season. The Tigers forced two turnovers Saturday, shut down Florida State's running game and repeatedly put pressure on Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. They did that even without starting linebacker Elijah Herring, who starred in the Week 2 win over Troy but was injured for Saturday's game.

If this continues, Memphis' defense will be the biggest talking point from this season.

Memphis' offense still has room to grow

The defense has been the top storyline from the first three games of the season, and that's in part because the offense hasn't. Seth Henigan and the Memphis offense have done more than enough, but it hasn't all been perfect.

After a better performance against Troy, the running game struggled against Florida State and managed only two yards per carry. Quarterback Seth Henigan played better, with 272 yards passing (two touchdowns, one interception), but there's been a concerted effort from opposing defenses to take away top receiver Roc Taylor.

That's meant more work for the rest of Memphis' offense, specifically the tight ends. Anthony Landphere and Brendan Doyle have been heavily involved.

"People are trying to take away our explosive guys," Henigan said Saturday. "And when that happens, you've got to look to your other explosive guys."

There will be a time this season when Henigan and the offense need to put up points quickly. There's still every reason to think they'll be able to do it, but they haven't needed to so far.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Memphis football's defense is the reason the Tigers are a CFP team