Memphis vs. Central Florida AAC Championship Odds & Preview

While Saturday’s American Athletic Conference championship game may not quite get the national media attention of some other huge conference championship clash like the SEC matchup between Georgia and Auburn, I’m thinking it should! You see, when the 16th-ranked Memphis Tigers look to pull off the upset over the AAC Championship odds favorite Central Florida Knights, college football fans and betting enthusiasts everywhere will be watching an affair between two of the very best teams in all college football this season, no matter if they play in a conference that doesn’t get the same amount of ‘love’ as one of the power five conferences. Now, let’s find out which team is offering the best value in this intriguing matchup, considering the Knights come in as the favorite by 7 points.

Tigers (10-1) vs. Knights (11-0) AAC Championship Odds & Preview

• When: Saturday, December 2, 2017, 12:00 PM ET
• Where: Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, FL
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: 93.5 FM (Memphis) / 1350 WMMB (Central Florida)
• AAC Championship Game Odds: Central Florida -7 (Over/Under at 82)

Weather Forecast

• Partly Cloudy: 24°C/75°F
• Humidity: 62%
• Precipitation: 0%
• Cloud Cover: 35%
• Wind: 5 mph E
• Stadium Type: Open

Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)

• Record: Central Florida leads 10-0
• Score: Memphis 16.00 / Central Florida 35.70
• Rush Yards: Memphis 110.70 / Central Florida 211.00
• Pass Attempts: Memphis 34.20 / Central Florida 25.40
• Completion Percentage: Memphis 54.68 / Central Florida 62.60
• Passing Yards: Memphis 207.50 / Central Florida 226.30
• Total Yards: Memphis 318.2 / Central Florida 437.3
• Turnovers: Memphis 1.90 / Central Florida 0.50

Why consider the Tigers AAC Championship Odds?

The best reason to bet on No. 16 Memphis is that they’re on fire right now – and want some revenge! The Tigers have won seven straight since losing their only game of the season back in September – although that loss was a convincing 40-13 defeat against Central Florida – of all people. Memphis has absolutely exploded on their opponents in recent weeks by scoring at least 56 points four times during their seven-game winning streak while scoring 66 points or more three times, including each of their last two games. The Tigers beat the hell out of East Carolina 70-12 this past weekend to cover the chalk as an insane 29.5-point home favorite as quarterback Riley Ferguson passed for 299 and three touchdowns and running backs Patrick Taylor Jr. and Darrell Henderson both rushed for 0ver 120 yards and two scores apiece. Memphis is averaging a phenomenal 47.0 points per game to rank second in the nation in scoring, although they do allow a generous 30.8 points per contest to rank 88th in points allowed.

Why consider the Knights AAC Championship Odds?

the best reason to bet on Central Florida in this contest is that they’ve answered the bell each and every time this season and already beat the Tigers once – in emphatic fashion no less! The Knights have gone undefeated all year while scoring 45 or more in each of their last three games and beat a South Florida team this past weekend that is very good and was once the only nationally-ranked team in the AAC. Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton passed for 373 yards with four touchdowns and one interception against the Bulls on Saturday and has had a phenomenal season in tossing 30 TD passes and just six interceptions while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. The Knights average a jaw-dropping 48.3 points per game to lead the nation in scoring and are the much better defensive team in this matchup as they limit the opposition to a respectable 22.5 points per game to rank 33rd nationally.

Latest AAC Championship Odds Trends

• Memphis is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
• Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Memphis’s last 5 games
• Central Florida is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games
• Central Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Central Florida’s last 5 games when playing Memphis

Expert Analysis and Prediction

While I’m not super fond of the touchdown point spread in this contest, I am thoroughly impressed with central Florida and their ability to overcome every obstacle they’ve faced this season, including a very good South Florida team that I thought was the best team in the AAC for the vast majority of the season last weekend. I know Memphis has absolutely exploded on a bunch of people the last seven weeks, but Central Florida actually has a solid defense, not to mention, they are the only team in the country that averages more points per game than the Tigers do offensively. After 57 percent of public bettors were rolling with Memphis to cover the chalk as touchdown underdogs just a couple of days ago, now, 53 percent of public bettors like central Florida to win and cover. I personally don’t care who the majority of public bettors like, I know I like the UCF Knights to get it done one more time, mostly because they’re the better team on both sides of the ball and their earlier win this season over Memphis was so dominating. Central Florida is a perfect 5-0 ATS in their last five meetings against Memphis and I think they have a ton of motivation to finish the season undefeated – even if it won’t get them into the four-team College Football Playoff! Pick: Central Florida -7