Memphis Football: Tigers look to play spoiler at SMU

SMU holds head-to-head tiebreakers over Houston and Tulane. Can the Mustangs hold on the lead in the AAC West standings when they host Memphis football on Friday?

Memphis is effectively out of the running to return to the American Athletic Conference title game this year. Theoretically, there is still a path to the championship, but they need a lot of help for things to fall into place. They need Tulane to lose both of their final two games of the season, given the Green Wave have a head-to-head advantage over the Tigers.

Memphis also needs to win both of their final two games, which would give them tiebreakers over SMU and Houston. This week, the Tigers head to Dallas to take on a Mustangs team that currently sits in the driver’s seat of the AAC West. Memphis boasts one of the top offenses in the country, with Darrell Henderson sitting second nationally in rushing yards and quarterback Brady White among the 10 most efficient passers in the country.

They will take on a Mustangs side that struggles to stop opponents when they have the ball. SMU has also featured an offense that scores 4.5 fewer points per game than the defense allows, which makes their .500 record all the more impressive in context. The defense allows a lot of yards and points, but they are an opportunistic unit that sits among the 20 best in the country at generating turnovers.

The Mustangs need one more victory to reach bowl eligibility, while Memphis has already reached the six-win threshold. Who will emerge victorious in the Metroplex for the AAC duel in prime time? Here’s how you can watch the Friday night game between Memphis and SMU:

Date: Friday, Nov. 16
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Dallas, Texas
Venue: Gerald J. Ford Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Memphis cannot shoot themselves in the foot on special teams if they hope to win on the road in Dallas on Friday night. The Tigers struggle against both kickoffs and punt returns, as they rank outside the top 100 in net punting and punt return defense and in the bottom half of the FBS in kick return defense. Memphis cannot lose the field position battle and hope to come away with their seventh win of the season.

SMU needs their defense to come through in a big way to prevent Memphis from moving the chains and getting into the red zone. The Mustangs are currently among the worst teams in the country in terms of allowing teams to score when they get inside the SMU 20. Keeping a high-scoring team like Memphis off the scoreboard will be tough, but they have to get some stops to have any chance of winning as a home underdog.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Memphis -8.5
Over/Under: 72.5

Prediction

Memphis has been better both offensively and defensively this season, and that will become apparent early in the game on Friday night in Dallas. Look for the Tigers to build up a big halftime lead, only for SMU to chip away futilely after the intermission. The visitors will walk away winners in this contest, and the Mustangs will be left to try to reach bowl eligibility in their regular-season finale at Tulsa

Final Score: Memphis 45, SMU 35