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The Memphis Tigers are out to show the football world that the AAC isn’t all about the two teams in Florida. Memphis has one of the best offenses in the country and has beaten the two other main contenders in the AAC West already. Now the Tigers are looking for a matchup with either UCF or USF in the conference championship game in December. They have to make sure to keep winning though and have one more road test left. A game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane where the scoreboard operator is going to have a busy night.
This matchup in Week 10 of the regular season will take place on Friday, November 3, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Memphis -11.5
Tulsa +11.5
Odds Analysis
The Golden Hurricane are just 2-7 this season but did pull off a big upset a few weeks ago when they took down Houston. Tulsa was a 13.5-point underdog in that game and the 45-17 victory sent shockwaves throughout the conference. A terrible defense has performed better in recent weeks and that has made this team competitive at least despite the record. Tulsa has covered two of its last three and lost by one possession on the road against UConn and SMU.
Memphis has put its foot on the gas pedal in conference play ever since losing to UCF. The Tigers are averaging 49.5 PPG in their four conference games since the loss and have won all four of their games, posting a 4-0 ATS record in that span. To no one’s surprise, six of their eight games have gone over the total this year.
Matchup to Watch
Riley Ferguson must be grinning like a mule eating briars. Tulsa has the least efficient pass defense in the nation by a mile and it’s not even close. The Golden Hurricane are allowing 10.7 yards per pass this season and 15.9 yards per completion. The former number is a half-yard worse than any other team, while the latter number is a full yard worse.
It’s not like Tulsa has faced a ton of pass-happy teams either. The Golden Hurricane have faced New Mexico, Navy, and Tulane this season, all three of which are run-heavy teams. Last week against SMU, the pass defense let the team down again, allowing more than 300 yards through the air and over 10 yards per pass.
Ferguson has shown that he can light up defenses this year. He torched both UCLA and Connecticut for a combined 13 touchdowns and he has had only two bad outings all season. It’s very likely that he goes over the 400-yard mark this week.
Key Stat
Tulsa has not gotten good play out of the quarterback position this season. That has torpedoed this team’s season as Philip Montgomery’s Tulsa teams have always had to rely on outscoring their opponents to win.
The Golden Hurricane started the season with Chad President under center, but have moved to freshman Luke Skipper in recent weeks. Skipper has been a little bit better than President but that’s not saying much and is largely starting because he is a freshman and Montgomery is already looking forward to next season.
Give credit to the ground game though. Tulsa has still been successful running the football without good quarterback play and that has kept this team competitive.
Free ATS Pick
Although everything points to Memphis in this one, its defense has consistently let it down this season. The Tigers have had to win shootouts all year long and having to cover double digits on the road against a Tulsa team that has looked better in recent weeks is not a formula for a winning wager. This one will be much closer than the oddsmakers think.
College Football Odds: Memphis 45, Tulsa 41
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