Can Seth Henigan and the Memphis Tigers continue their march toward the College Football Playoff?

The new format of the College Football Playoff is really exciting for schools that aren't the traditional blue bloods like Alabama and Georgia. There will be at minimum one group of five team in the playoff every single season

Who is going to be that team to enter the playoff and cause chaos? Could that team be the Memphis Tigers?

Week 0 and 1: 3-3
2024 record: 3-3 (100%)
Career record: 166-157-5 (51.4%)

All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook unless otherwise noted

Troy +18.5 (-108) vs. Memphis -18.5 (-112)

Memphis is setting itself up for a really good season. They are primed to win the American Athletic Conference and make the College Football Playoff. They started their season with a 40-0 win over North Alabama. It wasn't just a win, it was Memphis' third-straight cover dating back to last season.

Despite only putting up 40 points against an FCS opponent, they were good in multiple areas. The passing game was efficient with a 91st percentile yards/dropback at 9.91 and 93rd percentile third down success rate at 63%. They could be a little bit more explosive in the passing game with just two explosive plays.

Quarterback Seth Henigan is going to be the catalyst to a run for the Tigers. He looked poised last Saturday with 297 yards and two touchdowns. They blended the run and the pass well in an efficient victory. They will need a little bit more explosiveness to beat Troy.

The Trojans are going through a transition period. Head coach Jon Sumrall left for Tulane and Gerad Parker took over after spending time at West Virginia and Notre Dame.

Things didn't go great for the Trojans in his debut with a 28-26 loss to Nevada. They got down 28-17 in the fourth quarter and they couldn't quite muster up the comeback to force overtime.

Defense has been the calling card for the Trojans but it took a hit on Saturday. They allowed Nevada to torch them through the air and hit explosive plays, but most importantly, they struggled on third down, allowing a 54% success rate.

This is a big game for Memphis if they want to take a step forward and the success on third down will be a big reason for the Tigers taking that step.

Bet : Memphis -18.5 (-110)