The Memphis Tigers will join the other teams that are fortunate enough to have a virtual home game for their bowl. Memphis won’t be traveling anywhere this holiday season and instead will welcome the Iowa State Cyclones to its place two days before the new year. This will be the first ever meeting between these two schools and it should be a good one. Both teams surpassed expectations and can make their fan bases very happy with a win here.
Watch the Liberty Bowl live on Saturday, December 30, 2017, at 12:30 p.m. ET at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. This game will be broadcast on ABC.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Iowa State +3.5
Memphis -3.5
Over/Under 66
Odds Analysis
If not for UCF, Memphis would have been the best team in the AAC this season. The Tigers went 10-2 this year with both of their losses coming at the hands of the Knights. This was one of the most high-powered offenses in football and it showed throughout the year. They went 7-4-1 ATS based on the strengths of this offense and saw the over go 9-3.
Iowa State was quite the opposite. The Cyclones offense did what it needed to, but it was the defense that led the way in the offense-heavy Big 12. The under went 8-4 in Iowa State games this season and this team continually surpassed expectations. The Cyclones were a dazzling 10-1-1 ATS on the year.
Key Stat
As good as Memphis was on offense, this defense was pretty bad all year long.
Some of this was just as a result of who the Tigers played. They faced Josh Rosen in non-conference play, squared off against UCF twice, and played in one of the most notoriously pass-happy divisions in college football.
However, this defense should have fared better than it did. Memphis was in the bottom 10 in terms of total defense, allowing 476.2 yards per game. The pass defense was one of the worst in the nation, allowing almost 280 yards per game.
Iowa State showed that it can throw the ball a little bit against Oklahoma and held its own against the Big 12 all season. The Cyclones should be able to move the ball through the air against the Tigers.
Player to Watch
Anthony Miller has been one of the best receivers in the country this season. With Riley Ferguson throwing him the ball, Miller has shined and finished second in the nation in receiving in the regular season.
With just eight catches, Miller will hit 100 on the season. This will be the second straight season he has torched opposing defenses and this is the player that Iowa State’s defense will need to stop.
Miller came on hot at the end of the year. He surpassed 100 yards through the air in each of the last three weeks and had at least one touchdown reception in each of his last five games. He was at his best when it mattered too, lighting up both UCLA and UCF.
Free ATS Pick
Iowa State has had a great year. The Cyclones have hung tough against every opponent they have faced and pulled off some great wins. They knocked off both Oklahoma and TCU, and didn’t lose a game by more than 10 points all year long. Matt Campbell has made this team competitive and things have been exciting in Ames.
However, this team has gotten fortunate too. There’s been quite a bit of turnover luck going the way of the Cyclones and this will be a road game for them. Memphis doesn’t turn the ball over much and that isn’t good news for Iowa State. Although the Cyclones have been a great team to back this season, I’m going to lay the points with Memphis in this one.
College Football Odds: Memphis 38, Iowa State 31
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