Navy vs. Memphis Pick
Will No. 25 Navy manage to keep its perfect season going when it hits the road to face Memphis on Saturday at 3:45PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Memphis is the slight favorite at home, as the Tigers are getting odds of -3.5 points against Navy. The over/under total for the game is listed at 75 points. Navy has won and covered the spread in the last two meetings with Memphis. Saturday’s game takes place from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game airs live on ESPNU.
NCAA FB QUICK LINKS: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats | Standings
Navy improved to 5-0 last week with a 48-45 win over Air Force. The Midshipmen are 3-0 in the AAC and 3-2 against the spread. They have covered the spread in both road games. The Midshipmen are allowing 27.6 points and 398.4 yards per game on defense while the offense is putting up 37.2 points and 508.4 yards per contest. Navy runs for 414.2 yards per game. Zach Abey has run for 870 yards and nine touchdowns while also throwing for 470 yards and five touchdowns. Chris High and Malcolm Perry have combined for 706 rushing yards and four scores.
Memphis is coming off a 70-31 win at UConn to improve to 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in the AAC. The Tigers are just 2-3 against the spread this season and 1-2 ATS on the road. Memphis has a great offense that averages 42.4 points and 509.4 yards per game, but it also has a defense that is giving up 35.2 points and 506.2 yards per contest. Riley Ferguson is leading the offense with 1,535 passing yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Darrell Henderson has run for 448 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Miller has caught 35 passes for 516 yards and seven touchdowns.
Outside of the poor showing against UCF, Memphis has looked pretty good. The Tigers already own a home win over UCLA this season. While their defense has been suspect, their offense is for real. Memphis will be able to move the ball on Navy, which puts a lot of pressure on the Midshipmen to match scores. That’s not easy to do with the triple-option offense, especially if Navy falls behind. I think Memphis sets a pace that Navy won’t be able to keep up with.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: MEMPHIS -3.5