The Memphis Tigers (7-2, 4-1 American) and USF Bulls (6-3, 2-3) square off in an American Conference matchup Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let's analyze college football odds around the Memphis at USF odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions for the best bets.
Memphis (-6.5) heads into Tampa off a bye week after crushing the visiting Army Black Knights 49-22 (Over 58.5) Oct. 31. Memphis QB Marcus Stokes accounted for 5 TDs, completing 29 of 35 passes for 371 yards and 4 TDs and also rushing for a score. Army had no answers for Memphis' offense, which rolled up 554 yards and was 11 of 15 on third down. Memphis WR Jermane Hayes caught 9 passes for 86 yards and 2 TDs, WR Jemyri
Davis caught 4 passes for 75 yards and 2 TDs and RB Jaylin Carter rushed for 96 yards and 2 TDs on 23 carries and caught 4 passes for 22 yards. Army's triple-option offense attack ran up 320 yards on the ground.
USF lost at East Carolina (-1.5) 20-17 (Under 39.5) Saturday as Pirates K Andrew Conrad nailed a 55-yard FG as time expired. USF was held to 329 yards (179 passing and 150 rushing) and went 1 of 10 on third down. QB Luke Kromenhoek made his first start of the season for USF, completing 17 of 21 passes for 179 yards and 1 TD, while RB D.J. Crowther ran for 111 yards on 17 carries.
Memphis leads the all-time series vs. USF 10-4. The Tigers have won 5 straight in the series, including a 34-31 thriller at home last season as Memphis rallied with 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of total offense (USF 564, Memphis 450).
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
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Memphis at USF odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 11:23 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Memphis -175 (bet $175 to win $100) | USF +145 (bet $100 to win $145)
- Against the spread (ATS): Memphis -3.5 (-108) | USF +3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 50.5 (O: -108 | U: -110)
Memphis at USF picks and predictions
Prediction
Memphis 27, USF 24
Moneyline
PASS.
This game is a battle of strength vs. strength. USF owns the top-ranked scoring defense in the American (10th nationally) giving up an average of 15.1 points per game, and they're second in the conference in total defense (312.7 yards per game). On the other hand, Memphis is averaging 513.3 YPG (second in American) and 37.6 PPG (third in conference).
USF is capable of pulling off the upset, but I'd rather take the points.
Against the spread
BET USF +3.5 (-108).
This line opened at Memphis -6.5 and has dropped precipitously throughout the week.
The teams share 3 common opponents. USF won on the road at Army 28-24 at the beginning of September, while Memphis outlasted visiting ECU 41-34 in mid-October. Both teams dominated the UAB Blazers at home (Memphis 38-13, USF 30-10).
All 3 of USF's loss have been by 1 score. Their largest loss was 31-24 at UTSA, with the Roadrunners' winning score coming with 15 seconds left as the Bulls held a 1-point led.
Over/Under
BET OVER 50.5 (-108).
Only 2 Memphis 9 games have gone Under this total and those 2 games came in at 48 points. On the other hand, 6 of USF's 9 games have gone we'll below this total. I lean more toward Memphis' offense having some success against the USF defense, rather than the Bulls completely shutting the Tigers down. Conversely, Memphis defense is giving up an average of 21 PPG in conference play, while USF is averaging 22.4 PPG.
Betting odds calculator
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This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: Memphis Tigers at USF Bulls odds, picks and predictions
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