Frisco Bowl Preview: Memphis Tigers vs West Virginia Mountaineers Breakdown, Spread, Predictions
College Football bowl season is upon us after an insane 2024 season. The craziness of the 12-team playoff gave us some incredible discourse and interesting games, but it also left us with some intriguing bowl matchups of teams we don't see all that often. I'll be previewing every bowl game for the rest of the […]
College Football bowl season is upon us after an insane 2024 season. The craziness of the 12-team playoff gave us some incredible discourse and interesting games, but it also left us with some intriguing bowl matchups of teams we don't see all that often.
I'll be previewing every bowl game for the rest of the postseason. To kick this series off, we have a potentially exciting matchup in the Frisco Bowl featuring the West Virginia Mountaineers and Memphis Tigers.
Frisco Bowl Preview
Who: Memphis Tigers (Away), West Virginia Mountaineers (Home)
When: Tuesday, December 17th; 9:00 PM ET
Channel: ESPN
Spread: Memphis -4.5
O/U: 58.5
When this game was first announced, it felt like a pretty compelling game between a superb American conference team and a streaky but explosive Big 12 team.
Since then, however, the West Virginia Mountaineers have fallen off. The team fired head coach Neal Brown and lost one of their best players, star linebacker Josiah Trotter, to the transfer portal. Trotter entered the portal fresh from a Big 12 Freshman of the Year award this season.
However, most of their offense is still set to play in this game. West Virginia's best player, star left tackle Wyatt Milum, will finish out the season playing in this bowl game, keeping West Virginia's offense mostly intact. Quarterback Garrett Greene will suit up and play his last game for the Mountaineers as well, making this one an emotional outing for West Virginia. They will be missing wide receiver Traylon Ray, however, who leads the team in receiving touchdowns.
West Virginia OT Wyatt Milum 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia Height: 6'6 Weight: 317 pounds Strengths Play Strength: Milum is built Ford Tough on the football field. Rushers just cannot wear down his anchor, making him nearly impossible to uproot when he can establish contact. He backs up his accurate hands with strong punches that frequently knock defenders back. In the […]
The Memphis Tigers, on the other hand, enter this bowl game with plenty of momentum behind them. The Tigers ended the season 10-2 with a 34-24 drubbing of Tulane to close out their season. They didn't end up playing for the American Championship, but they did finish the season ranked in the final CFP Top 25.
Quarterback Seth Henigan will also play his last game for Memphis in this one. Henigan leads the Tigers in career passing yards, completions, and touchdowns, and will have a shot at breaking the American Conference record in touchdowns. He is just two shy of breaking Clayton Tune's record of 104 passing touchdowns.
Memphis has been largely unaffected by opt-outs or players entering the portal as well, leaving the Tigers with a full stock of players ready to close the season out strong.
Frisco Bowl Prediction
West Virginia may have lost a key defensive player, but the offense is still ready to go and seems fired up for this one. The Mountaineers look to enter the Rich Rodriguez era 2.0 on a high note.
West Virginia is a 98th-percentile explosive play offense, led by one of the better ground games in the FBS. They're averaging a respectable 28.5 points per game as well.
Their offense will be going up against a formidable Memphis defense, however. Memphis's defense finished with a 98th-percentile stuff rating against the run. However, they have been snake-bitten by some explosive passes throughout the season. If West Virginia can scheme up enough explosives through the air, they'll be able to open up their ground attack led by CJ Donaldson and Jaheim White.
On the flip side, Memphis's offense has been nigh-unstoppable this season. They finished the year 19th in scoring offense at 35.2 points per game, led by Seth Henigan's 23 touchdowns through the air. The Tigers also boast a balanced offense, placing top-30 in EPA both passing and rushing the ball.
When Memphis has the ball, they're going up against a West Virginia defense that has been one of the worst in college football (and that was with their star linebacker). The Mountaineers allowed 31 points per game and have routinely been picked apart through the air.
This one has all the makings of a fun barn burner, especially on a Tuesday night. Put it on while wrapping Christmas gifts or just to unwind from a hectic day at work with deadlines approaching. Both of these offenses should score plenty of points, but I think Memphis will put this one away. Ryan Silverfield has yet to lose a bowl game as head coach of the Tigers, and I don't see enough to think he won't keep that streak alive.
