Every single college football season delivers some major surprises along the way. Some of those surprises come in the form of lesser programs knocking off the big boys and hurting their playoff hopes, while others are complete season performances from teams who seemingly came out of nowhere. The Liberty Bowl, which will be held in Memphis, will feature a pair of teams who fit both those bills. The Iowa State Cyclones had an up and down year but also delivered two of the biggest upsets of the season. They will be going up against a Memphis Tigers team that managed 10 wins this season, which was a huge step forward for a program that has not been relevant for a very long time, which is why they come in as the Liberty Bowl odds favorite.
Having these two teams go head to head highlights all that is great about bowl season, as it features two very good teams who would ordinarily never meet. The Memphis Tigers will have the benefit of playing this one on their home field, which may help explain why they are 3 ½ point favorites. The point total for this one has been set at 66.
If there is a weakness in this team, it’s that they are a little one-dimensional on the offensive side of the football, relying heavily on the passing game. It served them well, though, as they managed to score an average of 47 PPG. Another weakness on this team is the play of their defense, which gave up a rather troubling 33 PPG in the regular season. The Tigers were 7-5 ATS and 8-3 O/U this season.
Cyclones vs. Tigers 2017 Liberty Bowl Odds & Expert Pick
Offensive coordinator Tom Manning gives his keys to a Cyclone win over Memphis in the @AZOLibertyBowl pic.twitter.com/0TtLk4j3OB
— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) 27 de diciembre de 2017
- When: Saturday, December 30 at 12:30 PM EST
- Where: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: 540 AM (Iowa State) / 93.5 FM (Memphis)
- Liberty Bowl Odds: Memphis Tigers -3.5 (Over/Under at 66 points)
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 1°C/34°F
- Humidity: 46%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Cloud Cover: 32%
- Wind: 11 mph N
- Stadium Type: Open
Team Records
- All: Iowa State Cyclones 7-5 / Memphis Tigers 10-2
- Home: Iowa State Cyclones 3-3 / Memphis Tigers 7-0
- Away: Iowa State Cyclones 4-2 / Memphis Tigers 3-2
- ATS: Iowa State Cyclones 8-2-2 / Memphis Tigers 7-5
- Over/Under: Iowa State Cyclones 4-8 / Memphis Tigers 8-3
Why consider the Cyclones Liberty Bowl Odds?
The Iowa State Cyclones finished the season with a 7-5 record, but it was two of those wins, in particular, that got them a lot of headlines this season. They took out the Oklahoma Sooners, a team heading to the college football playoffs, 38-31 early in the season. The Cyclones then ended the playoff dreams of the TCU Horned Frogs with a 14-7 win over that group heading into the final month of the regular season. It was what came after that which may be a little troublesome, as the Cyclones only managed 1 win in their final 4 games. Iowa State was solid enough on the offensive side of the football, scoring an average of 29 PPG. They were also tight defensively, giving up 21 PPG, which was a number that would have been better had it not been for a couple of off days, most notably giving up 49 points to Oklahoma State. The Cyclones were an impressive 8-2-2 ATS this season and went 4-8 O/U.Team Statistics
Offense- Average Score For: 29.92
- Total Yards: 389.33
- Rush Yards: 119.83
- Passing Yards: 269.50
- Average Score Against: 21.00
- Total Yards: 368.42
- Rush Yards: 134.25
- Passing Yards: 234.17
Why consider the Tigers Liberty Bowl Odds?
The Memphis Tigers are a team that is slowly but surely getting better each year, and their 10-2 record this season was a major leap forward. Let’s not forget that this was a team that did not get to a bowl game between 2009 and 2013, so the fact that this is their 4th straight bowl appearance gives you an idea of how far they have come.
If there is a weakness in this team, it’s that they are a little one-dimensional on the offensive side of the football, relying heavily on the passing game. It served them well, though, as they managed to score an average of 47 PPG. Another weakness on this team is the play of their defense, which gave up a rather troubling 33 PPG in the regular season. The Tigers were 7-5 ATS and 8-3 O/U this season.
Team Statistics
Offense- Average Score For: 47.67
- Total Yards: 548.16
- Rush Yards: 209.08
- Passing Yards: 339.08
- Average Score Against: 33.42
- Total Yards: 476.25
- Rush Yards: 196.83
- Passing Yards: 279.42
Latest Betting Trends for 2017 Liberty Bowl
- Iowa State is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Iowa State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Iowa State’s last 7 games
- Memphis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
- Memphis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Memphis’s last 6 games
