No. 7 Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats
Saturday, 9/14/13, 12:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Louisville -7.5
Current Betting Line: Louisville -13
Opening Total: 56.5
Current Total: 59
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Louisville hits the road for the first time this season when it travels up I-64 East to face intra-state rival Kentucky in a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN. The Cardinals are averaging 46.5 points and 545.0 yards of total offense in their first two games, which is important to consider when making your college football predictions in Week 3. The program is 11-14 all-time in this series, but has come away with a victory in two of the last three meetings under head coach Charlie Strong. Louisville is 0-2 ATS as road favorites of 10.5 to 14 points the last two-plus seasons, with both games going UNDER the betting total.
The Cardinals are led offensively by the play of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who leads the country in points responsible with 54. The 6-foot-3 signal caller is third in the nation in passing efficiency, fourth in passing yards and eighth in total offense. Dating back to last season, Louisville has allowed just one first-half touchdown in the last three games. The 2013 roster features 19 returning starters and 53 lettermen, which makes the program a legitimate contender in reaching the BCS championship game.
Kentucky is coming off an impressive 41-7 victory over Miami (Ohio) as 17.5-point home favorites last Saturday, as it won the statistical battle by 553 yards, but still went UNDER the betting total of 54.5. The Wildcats had both Maxwell Smith and Jalen Whitlow receiving significant playing time under center, with both topping the 100-yard mark in passing. It’s still important to point out that this squad was one of the most inexperienced teams last season and the youth movement has continued under first-year head coach Mark Stoops, which is important to consider when looking over the college football odds page. Kentucky is 0-9 SUATS as underdogs of 10.5 to 21 points the last two-plus seasons, with the OVER going 7-2 in that situation.
The Wildcats will need to continue their strong play on third downs defensively against the Cardinals, as they rank second nationally entering this contest in allowing opponents to covert just 11.5 percent of their chances in that situation. Kentucky will feature senior running back Raymond Sanders inside Commonwealth Stadium, as he’s rank for 1,215 yards in his career.
Sports bettors will likely back the Cardinals due to the Wildcats being 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games.
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