FACTS & STATS: Site: Liberty Bowl (62,380) -- Memphis, Tennessee. Television:Local. Home Record: SMU 1-5, Memphis 3-3. Away Record: SMU 0-5, Memphis 3-2. Neutral Record: SMU 0-0, Memphis 0-0. Conference Record: SMU 0-7, Memphis 5-2. Series Record: Memphis leads, 1-0.

GAME NOTES: The Memphis Tigers will try to secure their best-ever Conference USA record this Saturday, as they do battle with the SMU Mustangs in the regular season finale for both clubs. The Tigers enter the contest on a high note, as they defeated UAB, 25-9, last weekend. It was the second straight win and the fourth in the last five games by Memphis, which improved to 6-5 overall and in the process became bowl eligible for the fourth time in the last five years. The triumph also pushed the team to 5-2 in conference play, and with a victory this weekend it would establish a new school record with six C-USA wins. As for SMU, it is in the midst of a simply dismal campaign, winning just one of its 11 outings. Since defeating North Texas (45-31) on September 8th, the Mustangs have dropped nine games in a row, including a 49-20 beating at the hands of UCF last weekend. The loss kept the team winless in conference play at 0-7, and due to the poor showing, head coach Phil Bennett will be out of a job at season's end according to athletic director Steve Orsini, who made this announcement in late October. SMU and Memphis have met just one time previously on the gridiron, a game won by the Tigers, 27-13, at the Liberty Bowl in 1976.

The Mustangs have hurt themselves with numerous mistakes this season, as they have committed a whopping 29 turnovers. Other than the miscues, the offense has done a rather decent job in gaining 169.7 ypg on the ground and 240.9 ypg through the air. Last weekend, SMU rolled up 404 yards of total offense, but it committed four turnovers in a loss to UCF. Quarterback Justin Willis accounted for three of those turnovers and he threw for just 112 yards in the loss. To make matters worse, Willis suffered a concussion in that game and he is listed as questionable for this weekend. If Willis is unable to go, that would be a huge blow to the Ponies, considering he has not only thrown for 2,569 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he also leads the team with 599 rushing yards. Zach Rhodes came on in relief of Willis last weekend and he threw for 64 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 7-of-14 pass attempts. He had thrown just one pass this season prior to last weekend's outing. Emmanuel Sanders and Zack Sledge are two of the team's top targets and they have combined for 106 catches, 1,414 yards and 15 touchdowns. The duo will look to have a big day no matter who starts under center.

Defensively, SMU ranks among the worst teams in college football, as it is giving up a whopping 38.4 ppg and 495.0 total ypg. The unit has had no success against the run (197.4 ypg) or the pass (297.6 ypg), and it is also allowing opposing teams to convert 54.0 percent of the time on third downs. Last weekend, the defense was torched by UCF for 484 total yards, including 262 via the run. The defensive gave up five touchdowns despite being on the field for only 24 minutes of the game. Will Bonilla and Bryce Hudman are currently tied for the team-lead in tackles with 71, but the duo combined for just seven stops last weekend.

The Tigers have been able to move the ball on a pretty consistent basis this season and they are averaging 27.1 ppg behind 439.1 total ypg. The offense has done a decent job running the ball for 134.5 ypg, but it has excelled through the air, passing for 304.6 ypg. Last weekend, Memphis used a balanced attack of 265 rushing yards and 298 passing to defeat UAB. Tailback Joseph Doss headed the charge, as he ran for 168 yards and a score on 19 totes. It was one of the better performances this season for Doss, who leads the team with just 640 rushing yards and five scores on the year. Quarterback Martin Hankins didn't have his best game last weekend, but he still threw for 298 yards on 14-of-26 tosses. For the year, Hankins has completed 62.4 percent of his pass attempts for 2,603 yards, with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His main target is Duke Calhoun, who has pulled down 52 passes for 785 yards and five touchdowns. Last weekend, Calhoun snared four balls for 159 yards in a winning cause.

Much like many of the teams in C-USA, the Tigers lack a big time defensive unit, as they are giving up 29.4 ppg and 428.2 total ypg. Memphis hasn't shown it can really stop the run (211.6 ypg) or pass (216.5 ypg) on a consistent basis, although the defense has done a good job in forcing 23 turnovers. Last weekend however, the Tigers put forth one of their better efforts on defense, as they forced two turnovers and limited UAB to just 338 total yards. Memphis also allowed a season-low nine points in the victory. Jake Kasser posted 13 stops in the game and he leads the Tigers with 89 tackles for the year.

The Tigers are the pick here for many reasons, but most notable their offense, which should be able to pass all over SMU's soft defense for the win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Memphis 38, SMU 24

Saturday, November 24th, 2:00 p.m. (et)