Miami Hurricanes vs. Louisville Cardinals
Monday, 9/1/14, 8:00 p.m. ET
Opening Point Spread: Louisville -3
Current Betting Line: Louisville -3
Opening Total: N/A
Current Total: N/A
Odds Courtesy of 5Dimes
Miami has dropped six of its last nine road openers, but it has won back-to-back contests in that situation under head coach Al Golden, who enters his fourth year guiding this once historic program in the Sunshine State. The Hurricanes have gone 11-4 SU in their last 15 games under Golden, which is far better than their 11-11 mark in his first 22 games on campus. The school’s six home wins in 2013 were its most in the Sun Life Stadium era and its most home wins since 2003. Miami has covered the number in its last five September affairs.
The Hurricanes have dropped their last two meetings against the Cardinals, including a 36-9 setback as five-point underdogs in the 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl. Miami has one of the more dynamic playmakers in the country in running back Duke Johnson, but it’ll need to replace quarterback Stephen Morris. On the other side of the ball, the team has increased its takeaways and the number of players producing that result in each year under Golden.
Louisville will open its season versus a conference opponent for the first time since 1973, as it begins its first year competing in the ACC, which can’t be ignored when looking over the college football betting lines. The Cardinals welcome back former head coach Bobby Petrino, who originally left the campus in taking a job with the Atlanta Falcons—only to return to the collegiate level with stops at Arkansas and Western Kentucky. He welcomes back 11 overall starters, with the main player to watch being running back Dominque Brown, who gained 825 yards on the ground in 2013. Louisville is 6-1 ATS in its last seven conference affairs.
The Cardinals may find themselves in a rebuilding phase, considering they’ll likely face at least three ranked opponents this season—after not facing a single Top 25 foe a year ago. Louisville’s defense was a strength under former head coach Charlie Strong, but that unit will likely drop off quite a bit with his departure to lead the Texas Longhorns. The group could exceed expectations under coordinator Todd Grantham, who held that post the last four years at Georgia.
Sports bettors will likely back the Hurricanes due to the Cardinals being 7-13 ATS at home since 2011.
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