Ole Miss Listed As Week 1 Underdogs Vs. Memphis
Ole Miss has a 47-11-2 all-time record against Memphis, but will be the underdog on Saturday
Ole Miss (+5.5) at Memphis (-5.5)
Saturday, August 31st, 12:00pm EST
BetQL Rating: 2 Star Spread - Memphis
- Memphis was 6-1 at home last season and the team’s lone defeat came against a nationally-ranked UCF program in a heartbreaking one-point loss.
- Ole Miss will return just three offensive starters from last season.
- Memphis is a 2-star bet according to BetQL’s model. Our algorithm has Memphis as 9-point favorites, while Vegas lists the Tigers as 5.5-point favorites.
Ole Miss
Per DraftKings, the Rebels have a low regular-season win total (5). Following a 5-7 finish last season, head coach Matt Luke will have to deal with major personnel changes on offense. Ole Miss is returning just three offensive starters. As a result, the Rebels could be in store for yet another rough season. However, running back Scottie Phillips is one of them and he enters the year as one of the top-rated backs in the country. He is a preseason nominee for both the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards after rushing for 928 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2018.
Defensively, Ole Miss brings back 10 starters, which could ease the offensive uncertainty to an extent. The Rebels did allow 30 or more points in nine different games last season though, including 62 and 45 points against Alabama and LSU, respectively.
Memphis
Coach Mike Norvell and the Tigers are coming off a 8-6 campaign. Memphis boasts a very exciting offense, which features the return of quarterback Brady White and running back Patrick Taylor. The Tigers offense scored 50-plus points six different times last season, showing off their explosive potential.
White returns to the Tigers after throwing for over 3,200 yards last season to go along with his 26 touchdown passes. Meanwhile, Taylor enters his senior season after a tremendous 2018 campaign in which he scored 18 total touchdowns and amassed over 1,300 total yards. DraftKings lists the Tigers with a high 9.5 regular-season win total after combining for 26 wins over the course of Norvell’s first three seasons in charge at the program.
What Does The BetQL Dashboard Say?
Memphis is a 2-star bet according to BetQL’s model. Our algorithm has Memphis as 9-point favorites, while Vegas lists them as 5.5-point favorites.
Trends
- Ole Miss boasts a dominant head-to-head record against Memphis during their history (47-11-2).
- The Rebels have won seven of their last 10 encounters against the Tigers, as well as their most-recent meeting in 2016 (a 48-28 Ole Miss win in Oxford).
- Ole Miss has won 15 of their last 20 meetings dating back to 1989.
- However, the Tigers did win this matchup when the two teams last met at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in 2015.
- Memphis was 6-1 at home last season and the team’s lone defeat came against a nationally-ranked UCF program in a heartbreaking one-point loss.
- In their seven home games, the Tigers averaged 51.6 points per contest.
- Meanwhile, Ole Miss was 1-3 in true road games last season. Their only win came against Arkansas, who finished dead last in the SEC West.