The Memphis Tigers showed that their high-powered offense can work against anybody. Even a nationally-ranked opponent from the mighty SEC. After knocking off Ole Miss for their 13th straight victory and the biggest win in program history, it’s back to work for the Tigers, who look to avoid a letdown in an AAC matchup with Tulsa.
ODDS
Following their upset of Ole Miss, Memphis opened as a 10-point favorite with a total of 72. Early money on the visitors pushed the line as high as -12 before settling at the current -11. While the Tigers can put points on the board, the total has gone under in 10 of their last 15 road games.
KEY MISMATCH
Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch and coach Justin Fuente are quickly becoming hot commodities in college football. The 37-24 win over then-No. 13 Ole Miss was the school’s first against a ranked opponent since a 1996 Liberty Bowl defeat of Peyton Manning and Tennessee. Lynch has helped the Tigers to 13 consecutive wins and his name is already on the radar of NFL scouts. He entered Saturday’s game with a passing efficiency of 181.5, good for third in the nation. He didn’t hurt that number by going 39 of 53 for 384 yards and three touchdowns. He did throw an interception on a tipped ball. For the year, Lynch has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,535 yards and 10 touchdowns. The pick was his first of the season. While Tulsa does its best to outscore opponents, a leaky defense has prevented the Golden Hurricane from being better than its 3-3 record. Tulsa ranks 106th in points allowed, 122nd in total defense and 108th in pass defense. Those are some poor numbers going against a team that scores 46 points with 532.8 yards of total offense per game.
KEY STAT
46.0 – Memphis’ AAC leading points per game. The Tigers rank fourth-nationally behind Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech in scoring. Tulsa allows 34.8 points per game.
BETTING ANGLE
Undefeated Memphis jumped into the AP Top 25 at No. 18 this week after an impressive 37-24 win over Ole Miss on Saturday. It’s a huge breakthrough for a program that’s often been mediocre on the field with little fan support. The ranking is the highest in school history and it’s just the third time the Tigers have been nationally ranked at all. Memphis has won 13 straight games dating back to last season, the third longest streak in the country. There was plenty of skepticism surrounding the program because of their so-so schedule. That changed on Saturday. The Tigers had gone mostly unnoticed on the national stage before Saturday’s win. Now they’re the highest-ranked of three teams from the upstart AAC. Lynch said he’s confident coach Fuente’s leadership will help squash any urge to lose focus.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Memphis hasn’t experienced this kind of success on the football field, and while it might be natural to think a letdown is coming after the big win over Ole Miss, this is a team that is focused. Lynch has crept into the Heisman discussion with his performance against the Rebels and the Tigers are a dark-horse College Football Playoff threat. But the AAC is surprisingly deep and Memphis has games with three unbeatens in the conference. Don’t expect Fuente to allow his team to have a letdown and Lynch will pad his stats against a team that looks to be playing with 10 defenders much of the time. Watch for Lynch to dissect Tulsa’s questionable defense leading Memphis to another win, but the total is just too high, so consider wagering the under with Tigers’ starters likely on the sidelines for most of the second half.
Memphis 45, Tulsa 24
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Tigers were positioned as 10-point favorites with a total of 72. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Memphis Tigers and Tulsa Golden Hurricane square off on Friday, October 23, 2015, at 8 p.m. ET at Chapman Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
