The American Athletic Conference will be showcased Friday in Memphis as the Tulane Green Wave (3-4, 1-2) travels down to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to clash with No. 24 Memphis (6-1, 3-1). The Tigers are coming off an amazing comeback last week, scoring 14 unanswered points in the final five minutes of a wild 42-38 win at Houston. That win also made Memphis bowl eligible. The Tigers beat Tulane 24-14 last season and have won 10 straight in the series. The Green Wave’s last win over Memphis came in 2000. Even with the dominance in the series, the Tigers have said all week they will remain focused. We have a team coming off an emotional conference road win where they also became bowl eligible. The glaring question is, “Are the Tigers due for a letdown spot this week, against a lesser conference foe who would love nothing more than to ruin the hopes of a better conference squad?” Let’s take a look inside the numbers and see if we can’t get another free pick winner.
Tulane vs. Memphis College Football Preview
Date/Time: Friday, October 27th at 8:00pm EST
TV: CBS Sports Network
College Football Betting Odds from 5Dimes
College Football Betting Favorite: Memphis -10.5
Total: 64
Tulane Green Wave:
Tulane comes into Friday having lost 51 straight games vs. Top 25 ranked teams. The Green Wave comes in having played the 71st toughest schedule this season. They’re 3-4 on the year, with by far their biggest win coming in a 62-28 drubbing of Tulsa. Last week they had a great showing, only losing by six points to USF. Under center for Tulane is Jonathan Banks, a 6’3” 220 lb Junior from Humble, TX. He’s sporting 723 passing yards on the season with a 6/2 TD to INT split. Banks has run for 286 yards on the season as well, so there must be a spy on Banks at all times. Their offense goes through Senior Dontrell Hilliard. The 6’0” 205 lb. RB is out of Baton Rouge, LA and he has hit pay dirt nine times this season with 701 yards on 114 attempts, good for 6.1 YPC this season. Banks’s favorite target is Terren Encalade, the 6’0” 190 lb Junior from East Point, LA has 311 yards on the season with three TDs. Tulane is a triple option offense team, so their ground game will have significantly better numbers. Tulane ranks fifth in the AAC in total defense, allowing 27.9 PPG. How well will Memphis be able to handle the triple option attack of Tulane?
Memphis Tigers:
Memphis finds themselves ranked No. 24 this week coming off an incredible 14 point comeback in the final five minutes last week vs. Houston. The Tigers scored 42 points in the second half to secure the victory. They’ve played and beaten two ranked opponents this season, and Memphis has played the 62nd toughest schedule this season. The Tigers are led by Senior Riley Ferguson. The 6’4” 210 lb. Senior from Matthews, NC boasts 2285 passing yards on the season with an impressive 20/6 TD to INT split. The stout 5’9” 200 lb RB Darrell Henderson carries the rock for Memphis, and has 541 yards and three TDs on 71 carries this season. Ferguson’s favorite target is 5’11’ 190 lb. Anthony Miller from Memphis. The Senior has nine TDs this season with 784 yards on 55 attempts. Memphis has been opportunistic on defense this season, having forced 20 turnovers, including 11 fumble recoveries. Memphis’ total defense ranks ninth in the AAC, giving up 34.4 PPG.
Sin City Sharp (@SinCity Sharp on Twitter) Free Pick:
The biggest question coming into Friday’s game will be the motivation and focus of Memphis. They have now taken down two top-25 teams this season. Memphis already defended the option once this season two weeks ago when they played a strong Navy squad. Memphis is tied for second in the country with 20 turnovers on defense this season. One of the most important handicapping pieces here is Memphis is coming in off two extra days of rest than Tulane. Memphis played last Thursday, while Tulane played this past Saturday. With a better overall team, coming off a strong comeback win and looking to secure a New Years Six bowl spot, I will lay the chalk with Memphis to get a big win under the fan-friendly Friday night (home) lights.
Kyle Hunter is coming off a 7-3 Saturday in college football. Kyle already has several plays up for this Saturday’s card. All his guaranteed premium picks are here. Follow Kyle on Twitter for even more free sports betting information.
