NCAA Football
2024-12-17 - West Virginia at Memphis Tigers
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football- Frisco Bowl
Tuesday 17th December 2024 - Scheduled 9pm
2am (British Time)
Preview
An expanded College Football Playoff begins later in the week and very early on during the Bowl Season and that is because of the two extra Rounds compared with recent years.
While the headlines in this sport will be made by the Playoff, there is plenty of motivation for other schools who have earned Bowl bids.
The Memphis Tigers (10-2) and West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6) will kick things off in the Frisco Bowl on Tuesday and it is a game that will feature big names on both sidelines.
Seth Henigan will conclude his time with the Tigers at Quarter Back and he has enjoyed another strong season for the team, while going under the radar in the main part. One of the reasons for that is playing in the American Athletic Conference with the College Football Playoff really occupying the headlines for most, but Henigan deserves his flowers and could show out to open main Bowl season.
He is facing a West Virginia team that are under an interim Head Coach after a disappointing 2024 season and who had a poor trend down the stretch as far as the direction of the Defensive unit is concerned. This can only be good news for Seth Henigan in his last game, especially as Mario Anderson Jr is expected to have a big game running the ball too.
Both of these players will be key for Memphis who should have plenty of successful drives and shift the pressure onto the Mountaineers under their Offensive Co-Ordinator/Interim Head Coach Chad Scott. There has been a clear statement of keeping the Mountaineers focused, but Coaching changes can be difficult for players who know the season is coming to a close and things could be very different next time around.
One player who is expected to be involved in the NFL Draft and a potential First Round selection is Wyatt Milum, but the Left Tackle has declared himself available. The reality is that he may not be asked to play a lot of snaps in order to preserve Milum for the Draft, and that could leave Quarter Back Garrett Greene in a vulnerable place.
It has not been a great season for Greene who had 13 Touchdown passes with 11 Interceptions, although he is facing a Memphis Secondary that ended the season with a lot of yards being allowed through the air. The problem for the Quarter Back is using the second string Left Tackle may leave him facing even more pressure having been under siege down the stretch in the regular season and could see time run out when Greene steps back to throw.
The Mountaineers will hope to establish the run, although Memphis have a Defensive Line that has played that pretty well. Of course they have not played too many Big 12 Offensive units, but the Tigers may still put the pressure on Garrett Greene to make the plays from Quarter Back and that could be where they are able to stall drives by getting a pass rush into the backfield.
Bowl Games can be tough to call so restrict stakes, but this looks like one where the team outside of the Power 4 Conferences may still come out on top.
Prediction
Lay the points with the narrow favourite in the Frisco Bowl.
The Pick :
Memphis Tigers 33-20 West Virginia
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Memphis Tigers - 4 Points at -114 with Bookmaker.eu
