An important AAC showdown awaits Friday 8 p.m. ET as Memphis visits Tulane in the conference-opener for both teams. Memphis is a 14.5-point favorite, up from an opener of -13.5 in most spots. The line was -14 early on Friday before rising ahead of kickoff. The over-under has moved from an opening of 67 down to 66. Memphis is -675 on the money line (risk $675 to win $100), while Tulane is +490 (risk $100 to win $490). Memphis will try to keep its high-producing offense going against a Tulane club that is known for being a stubborn home underdog. Before you make any Memphis vs. Tulane picks, listen to what SportsLine expert Emory Hunt has to say.
Hunt is having another solid season with his point-spread picks for SportsLine members. And he will be looking to build on a 4-0 record over the past two seasons in against-the-spread picks involving Memphis.
Two weeks ago, Hunt advised SportsLine members that Memphis' high-powered offense would overwhelm Georgia State and recommended backing the Tigers as four-touchdown favorites. The result: They rolled to a 59-22 victory and anyone who followed Hunt's advice pocketed a comfortable winner.
Now, Hunt has turned his attention to Friday's AAC showdown between the Tigers and Green Wave. He has analyzed all the key details of this matchup and released a confident point-spread selection. He's sharing it at SportsLine.
Hunt knows the Tigers blew a double-digit lead at Navy in Week 2, but they have been back in top form ever since. They have won their last two games by a combined score of 111-57. Although past clubs have been known for their aerial attack, this year's team is powered by a ground game that averages 309.5 yards per game, good for fifth nationally.
Darrell Henderson leads the country with 709 rushing yards. He is averaging 12.2 yards per carry and has scored eight touchdowns. The junior totaled 188 yards and two scores in last week's win over South Alabama. Quarterback Brady White has been efficient as well, throwing for 1,064 yards and 12 touchdowns against one interception.
The Tigers might have an edge in firepower, but it's no sure thing they will cover the spread against a Green Wave (1-3) club that has been conditioned for conference play with a brutal non-conference schedule. They are coming off a 49-6 road loss to Ohio State in which Buckeyes Heisman candidate Dwayne Haskins threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half.
On the bright side, Tulane moved the ball well at times behind a balanced ground game that netted 100 yards, while quarterback Jonathan Banks threw for 141 yards.
The Green Wave started the season with a 23-17 overtime home loss to Wake Forest of the ACC and have covered seven of their past eight home games.
We can tell you Hunt is leaning toward the over, but he identified the critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing it at SportsLine.
Who covers the Memphis vs. Tulane spread? And what critical factor makes one side hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump all over Friday, from a seasoned expert who's 4-0 in Memphis games.
