Florida St. Seminoles vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview
Where: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium – Louisville, Kentucky
When: Saturday, September 17, 12:00 NN ET
Line: Florida State Seminoles (-2) at Louisville Cardinals (+2) – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Writer’s Pick: Florida State Seminoles (-2)
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Betting on the Florida State Seminoles (-2)
Position-for-position, Florida State has the more talented roster than Louisville. The Noles, who are the big +140 favorites to win the ACC, took some time to show that immense talent against Ole Miss in Week 1, but their quality eventually came through for them to get the 45-34 win.
And even if he does falter a bit, the Noles can always call Dalvin Cook’s number. The stud running back has yet to break 100 yards in any of his first two games this season, but don’t be too concerned. Cook has run for 273 yards with four touchdowns in two games against Louisville, averaging a sizzling 8.8 yards per carry.
The Noles defense suffered a big blow with the injury to Derwin James, who’s arguably the most talented player on the team. But they should still be a significant step up from any defense Louisville has seen this season. The Noles have a bunch of terrific athletes and playmakers on that side of the ball like DeMarcus Walker, who got 4.5 second-half sacks on Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly in Week 1.
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals (+2)
The Louisville Cardinals have a legit shot at taking down the No. 2 team in the country, and Lamar Jackson is the biggest reason why. The sophomore quarterback has lit up opposing defenses though two weeks to the tune of 13 touchdowns, while leading the Cards to 66 points per game (No. 1 in the nation). Those outstanding performances have caught the eyes of oddsmakers, who have lowered his Heisman Trophy odds to +550.
After relying more on his feet in his freshman year (in part because he just didn’t know the plays), he has now combined that running threat with a much more solid grasp of Bobby Petrino’s passing offense. Despite all of Florida State’s five-start talent, he can be the brightest star in their showdown with the Noles.
James’ absence on FSU’s defense will be a big gain for Jackson and the Cards offense. Not only will Jackson have a better chance of busting out more big runs, he also won’t have to fear James in coverage, attempting to pick off one of his deep bombs downfield.
Winning the turnover battle is obviously important for every team, but especially Louisville. They’ve lost the turnover battle in each of their first two games, with receiver fumbles becoming a bit of an issue.
They’ll need to cut those mistakes out against FSU, while forcing a few takeaways themselves. They should have a decent shot at the latter, as they face inexperienced freshman quarterback who’ll be playing on the road for the first time and will face a very aggressive defense.
Writer’s Prediction
Florida State (-2) has just enough firepower to edge out Louisville, 42-38.
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