FAU will host the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday, December 20 when the Conference USA champion Western Kentucky Hilltoppers take on the Memphis Tigers in their first matchup since 1956. For the Hilltoppers, this will be the third straight year they’ve appeared in a bowl game.
- Western Kentucky is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games against the American Athletic Conference.
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Memphis's last 10 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Western Kentucky's last 8 games.
Western Kentucky is coming off its second consecutive Conference USA championship and will have one last chance to showcase the offense that scored the second-most points per game this season and that combined with Louisiana Tech to score 102 points last week. WKU's Anthony "Ace" Wales scored five touchdowns in the game and had 262 yards from scrimmage.
Memphis’s modus operandi is also heavily influenced by its high-flying offense, so this one has the potential to get out of hand. The Tigers scored more than 40 in five of their 12 games this season while the Hilltoppers scored over 40 in all but three of their games and actually breached 50 points six times.
A bet on the OVER seems extremely rational given the trends and the likelihood that very little defense is going to be played. These teams have had high totals all year but they’ve continuously gone OVER despite that.
WKU Hilltoppers vs Memphis Tigers Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Memphis Tigers sport a record of 8-4 and 5-7 ATS heading into this betting matchup, while the WKU Hilltoppers sit at 10-3 and 6-7 ATS on the season. The over under totals records are 7-5 for the Tigers and 7-6 for the Hilltoppers. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Memphis vs WKU injuries news.
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Memphis Tigers rated this week at No. 28 and the WKU Hilltoppers sitting at No. 6.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Memphis Tigers No. 17-ranked offense (39.5 PPG) against a WKU Hilltoppers defense that ranks No. 39 at 24.08 PPG. The Memphis Tigers passing attack has averaged 294.92 yards per game, more than the WKU Hilltoppers give up through the air (268.46 YPG on average).
Defensively, the WKU Hilltoppers feature the league's No. 10-rated road run defense, allowing 116.5 yards per game. Memphis, meanwhile, ranks No. 67 in rushing offense at home.
Riley Ferguson led his team to victory last time out, throwing for 409 yards Friday as the Tigers downed the Cougars 48-44 at Liberty Bowl.
- Western Kentucky is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
- Western Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Western Kentucky's last 8 games
- Memphis is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
- Memphis is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Memphis's last 10 games
