BYU had a great chance to run the table until their star QB Taysom Hill was hurt and out for the season. After winning 4, they lost 4 to arguably 4 of their toughest opponents, then came back to win 4 in a row and end up 8-4. They still have a great offense despite not having Hill, but surprising their defense has been off this year. Backup QB Christian Stewart has come out great for BYU, throwing for 22 touchdowns and only 6 picks.
Memphis is probably the most surprising team out there. Did anyone expect them to even have a winning season? They went 9-3, with a 7 pt loss to UCLA, a 21 pt loss to Ole Miss, and a 4 pt loss to Houston that probably shouldn't have even happened. Their defense is nasty. They are 9-0 when allowing less then 21 points and 0-3 when allowing more. QB Paxton Lynch has improved by an enormous amount after throwing 9 touchdowns and 10 picks last year, he has thrown 18 touchdowns and only 6 picks this year.
I pick Memphis to defeat BYU in this one. |