College football bowl season continues with a rematch of the 2017 Autozone Liberty Bowl as the 9-3 Memphis Tigers of the AAC take on the 7-5 Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 on home turf.
Will home-field advantage be enough for the Tigers to outrun the Cyclones, or will they be swept up and blown away on Friday? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Liberty Bowl prediction.
Liberty Bowl Betting and DFS Picks
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Liberty Bowl odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page to place bets in your state.
- Spread
Iowa State -10.5 - Moneyline
Iowa State -395, Memphis +310 - Over/Under
57.5 points - Game time
3:30 p.m. ET - Location
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, FL - Predicted Weather at Kick
42 degrees, 10 mph winds, low clouds - How to Watch
ESPN, FuboTV
Looking to make some Memphis this bowl season? Is Iowa State worth placing a stake on this Friday? If you’re going to take advantage of the Liberty Bowl odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
This matchup gives us a rematch of the 2017 Liberty Bowl, where Iowa State held on for a 21-20 win over their Group of Five opponent. The Cyclones are favored to repeat that result, and despite Memphis boasting a superior offense, there’s plenty of reasons to believe in Matt Campbell’s team being able to notch their eighth win of the 2023 college football season.
Memphis has failed to win as an underdog this year, coming up short against Missouri, Tulane, and SMU. While being the favorite hasn’t always been a good thing for the Cyclones this season, they’ve won every time they’ve been favored by a touchdown or more as they are in the latest Liberty Bowl odds.
However, they’ve had mixed fortunes covering the spread this season, and our Liberty Bowl prediction suggests that Memphis could play Iowa State much closer than the oddsmakers believe. The Tigers covered the last time they were the underdog, keeping AAC champions SMU honest in mid-November. Any game involving Memphis has the potential to hit the over.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
Memphis Depth Chart | Iowa State Depth Chart
- QB Seth Henigan, Memphis
- QB Rocco Becht, Iowa State
- RB Blake Watson, Memphis
- RB Sutton Smith, Memphis
- RB Brandon Thomas, Memphis
- RB Abu Sama III, Iowa State
- RB Carson Hansen, Iowa State
- RB Arlen Harris Jr, Iowa State
- WR Roc Taylor, Memphis
- WR Demeer Blankumsee, Memphis
- WR Joseph Scates, Memphis
- WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
- WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
- WR Aidan Bitter, Iowa State
- TE Brendan Doyle, Memphis
- TE Easton Dean, Iowa State
There are four college football games on Friday to compile your DFS team from. If you’re new to DFS, Fanduel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a “Superflex” that can be any of the above or a tight end.
With the expectation of a high-scoring game, your Liberty Bowl picks might have a substantial influence on your Friday DFS lineup. Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan and Blake Watson have been amongst the highest-scoring fantasy assets in the nation, and despite a decent Cyclones defense, they should be able to put up decent points for your DFS and fantasy teams.
MORE: College Football Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker
Henigan, in particular, is an alluring option. With 32 total touchdowns and over 3,750 yards this season, facilitating 283.34 fantasy points, he leads all Friday quarterbacks in points and arguably has a better matchup than his nearest competitor — Missouri’s Brady Cook. Rocco Becht is an emerging talent, but the Iowa State QB is in a lower passing volume offense.
That said, the Cyclones boast two potential WR contenders in Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, with the appearance of their star pass catchers in the bowl game being a major boost for Iowa State. Don’t sleep, however, on running back Abu Sama III. He’s tallied two 100+ yard games in his last three, including a monster 276-yard, three-score outing against Kansas State.
Prediction for the Liberty Bowl
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the Liberty Bowl odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction.
Can Iowa State repeat their win in the 2017 edition of this bowl game when the two clash on Friday? Or will the Tigers roar to victory in their season finale, ensuring the program’s first double-digit win of the Ryan Silverfield era?
There’s certainly reasons to fancy Memphis to get a result on Friday afternoon. Quarterback Henigan is one of the best at the Group of Five level, and running back Watson is a physical force combining lower body strength with the speed, cut-ability, and contact balance to put defenders in an absolute bind. His receiving ability is a dangerous weapon for their offense.
As a result, Memphis finished the year with the seventh-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 39.7 points per game. It’s a unit that can prove problematic for any defensive unit, and while Iowa State has allowed just 21.7 points this year as the 35th-ranked scoring defense in the county, the Tigers can trouble them the same way that Kansas State did the last time out.
There’s no denying that the Cyclones’ offense isn’t as potent as their Liberty Bowl opponents, but under young QB Becht, they’ve still scored 30+ points in half of their 2023 games. Blessed with a plethora of offensive weapons around him, Becht should be able to put up points on a defense that has allowed an average of 29.0 points this year.
Iowa State ends the year with the third eight-win campaign of the Matt Campbell era.
Prediction: Memphis 30, Iowa State 33
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