This is a battle between one of the best teams in the Group of Five and one that just fired its head coach.
Memphis is No. 22 this week in the Associated Press Top 25 and is tied for first in the HERO Sports Group of Five Top 25. The Tigers are undefeated at 6-0 with a 2-0 record in American Conference play.
In fact, Memphis has beaten teams pretty decisively. Most recently, the Tigers defeated FAU 55-26 and Tulsa 45-7. Their only close win was against an SEC team, Arkansas, 32-31.
UAB, though, is 2-4 overall and 0-3 against conference opponents. The Blazers are on a three-game losing streak having lost to Tennessee, Army, and FAU. Those last two losses against American Conference teams were by a collective margin of 84-46.
That led to UAB firing head coach Trent Dilfer. Could things be different under interim head coach Alex Mortensen?
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Memphis vs. UAB Spread & Betting Odds
Memphis is a -21.5 college football betting odds favorite against UAB, with the Over/Under being 62.5 as of this writing.
The moneyline for UAB is +950, while it’s -2000 for Memphis.
Memphis vs. UAB On TV
The matchup between Memphis and UAB will be televised on ESPN2.
The game will kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 18. The contest is taking place at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.
Memphis vs. UAB Prediction
I predict that Memphis will win and cover the 21.5-point spread. I also project this game will go Over 62.5 total points.
The Tigers are simply, in my opinion, a much better team in several facets.
Memphis is top three in the American in scoring offense (40.5 points per game), scoring defense (16.2 PPG allowed), total offense (450.2 yards per game), total defense (312.7 YPG allowed), rushing offense (238.7 YPG), and rushing defense (88 YPG allowed).
Meanwhile, UAB is seventh or worse in all of those categories. In fact, the Blazers are last in the league in scoring defense and total defense.
Memphis is on the road, and UAB could play with a new energy following the coaching change. But I think the Tigers are too well coached to let this game be close.
With Brendon Lewis at quarterback, Sutton Smith and Greg Desrosiers Jr. at running back, and Cortez Braham Jr., Jamari Hawkins, and Marcello Bussey at wide receiver, I think Memphis’ offense will score early and often. I also expect Memphis’ defense will make things tough for UAB.
