FSU football: All about the matchups, Noles open as betting favorite over Memphis

FSU football won't have to worry about losing for the third consecutive week since they are on a bye week preparing for their game with Mike Norvell's former team, the Memphis Tigers. The Noles opened as a -5.5 betting favorite over the Tigers, which surprised some folks with how the Noles have looked in the first two weeks this season.

There is no over/under-betting total, but it's all about the matchups. FSU has struggled to stop the run against two of the top rushing teams from the ACC a year ago. Both teams had dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks, but that won't be the case with Memphis. The Tigers rely on their passing attack more than the run, throwing the ball 52.8 percent of the time a year ago. They threw the ball 53.5 percent of the time in their season-opening win against North Alabama. Memphis also had a weak defense last season, ranking No. 99 via FEI advanced metrics.

This may be a game where FSU can finally focus on stopping the traditional run game and pinning their ears back in obvious passing-down situations. It reminds me of the 2016 defense that got torched early that season when facing dual-threat QB's, only to settle and finish No. 13 nationally via FEI. I wrote earlier this week, the offense is mostly lack of execution and decision-making. The plays are there to be made, and this might be exactly what the Noles need to right the ship.

However, Memphis was a dark horse contender among the G5 schools to make a run for the 12-team playoff. They won their season opener 40-0 against a North Alabama team the Noles struggled with early last year and where they lost Jordan Travis for the season. It's a must-win game for the Noles to breathe life into a program in desperation mode. They'll have a bye-week to prepare as Memphis hosts Troy on Saturday afternoon.