Memphis Tigers vs. USF Bulls Prediction 10/11/24 NCAAF Week 7 Pick Today

Memphis vs West Virginia Prediction 12/17/2024: College Football Picks

Memphis vs West Virginia Game Prediction

What: Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl
When: Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 9 EST/6 PST
Where: Toyota Stadium (Latitude 36 Bermuda Grass), Frisco, Texas 
Memphis vs West Virginia Line: Memphis -4.5
Total: 58.5
TV: ESPN

Memphis vs West Virginia Preview

No. 25 Memphis (10-2, 6-2 in AAC) faces West Virginia (6-6, 5-4 in Big 12) in the Frisco Bowl in a meeting between one school that became Bowl-eligible a long time ago and another who needed to beat UCF on November 23 (31-21) to earn its 6th victory. The Tigers head in here winners of 4 of their last 5, beating Tulane (34-24), UAB (53-18), Rice (27-20), losing to UTSA (44-36), and defeating Charlotte (33-28). The Mountaineers went 3-2 in their last 5 losing at Texas Tech in their Regular Season finale (52-15), winning that aforementioned game vs UCF, losing to Baylor (49-35), and knocking off Cincinnati (31-24) and Arizona (31-26), both Big 12 Conference games on the Road. This will be the first-ever meeting between Memphis and West Virginia. Lifetime in Bowl games, the Tigers are 8-8 and have won their last 3 (2020, 2022, 2023) all by double-digits (15, 28, 10) while the Mountaineers have gone 17-23 in 40 Bowl appearances and won their last one last year vs North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl (30-10). My Prediction.

Memphis Looking For its 8th Win in the Last 9 Games

If he doesn’t opt out of playing, Memphis (6-5-1 ATS, 6-6-0 O/U) will have the best player in this game, RB Mario Anderson Jr. (1,292 Rushing yards, 17 TD, 5.9 ypc), and along with QB Seth Henigan (3,208 Passing yards, 23 TD, 6 Interceptions), the Tigers should be able to put up some points against a below average West Virginia defense (31.1 ppg, #106). Memphis only has one player in the Transfer Portal—compared to the Mountaineers 2—and the Tigers are somewhat Injury-free while West Virginia has a number of players hurt (4) including two WRs and two starting DBs. The Mountaineers (+165 Moneyline) also have 7 players potentially opting out of this game. The way Memphis (-200 Moneyline) played against a strong Tulane team helped them climb into the Top 25 and with a 3-game Bowl win streak, they are now the rightful Favorites in this Group of 5 vs Power 4 conference showdown in Texas after opening as the 1-Point Underdogs.

Memphis Betting Trends

  • Head Coach Ryan Silverfield is 41-21 with Memphis (66.1%)
  • Memphis is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games
  • The Over is 5-1 in the Tigers last 6 games
  • The Tigers have scored 235 points in their last 6 games (39.2 ppg)
  • Memphis averages a healthy 35.2 ppg (#19) 
  • The Tigers have scored at least 27 points in their last 6 games

West Virginia Heads in With Interim Head Coach

West Virginia (5-7-0 ATS, 8-4-0 O/U) was a strong Over team in the Regular Season but because of a .500 season, the Mountaineers fired Head Coach Neal Brown, so Chad Scott will act as interim coach and be the main man on the sidelines on Tuesday night. Rich Rodriguez (2001-2007) will return to coach this team in 2025. West Virginia is led by QB Garrett Greene (1,972 Passing yards, 12 TD, 11 Interceptions), RBs Jahiem White (817 Rushing yards, 7 TD, 5.5 ypc) and CJ Donaldson Jr (651 Rushing yards, 9 TD, 4.8 ypc), and WR Hudson Clement (575 Receiving yards, 3 TD), but WR Traylon Ray is injured and out for the year while TE Kole Taylor ( 404 Receiving yards, 3 TD) may decide to opt out of this game. So the legs of White and Greene (656 Rushing yards, 5 TD, 5.2 ypc) may be the best way for West Virginia offense (28.5 ppg, #64) to generate some points.

West Virginia Betting Trends

  • Head Coach Neal Brown was 37-35 at West Virginia (51.4%) 
  • West Virginia has scored just 52 points in its last 4 Bowl losses 
  • The Over is 7-3-0 in the last 3 West Virginia games
  • WV’s last 10 games have all been against Power 4 conference teams
  • The Over is 5-1-0 in the last 6 Mountaineers games overall
  • The Mountaineers have been Underdogs in their last 8 games

Memphis vs West Virginia Prediction

Looking at the two schedules these teams played, it’s obvious West Virginia faced much tougher competition with Memphis only playing just two really good teams in Navy and Tulane. The Point Spread in this one opened up at West Virginia -1 but was bet up to its current (Memphis) -4 to -5 range. The Weather in Frisco—a suburb of Dallas—on Tuesday night is calling for 65° temperatures with a chance of Scattered Showers. If there is rain, it might not affect the two teams that much in the soccer-specific Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas in the MLS. This Memphis vs West Virginia NCAAF pick will side with the team with the better Record, the better Scoring Defense (22.8 ppg, Tied-#45, WV 31.1 ppg, #106), the better QB, the better RB, and the better Head Coach (6th-year Ryan Silverfield) who has guided them to this point, seeking their 4th straight victory in a Bowl.

Kevin’s Pick: Memphis -4 (Caesars Sportsbook)