Louisville Cardinals vs. Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview
Where: Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA
When: Saturday, October 29, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Louisville Cardinals (-31.5) at Virginia Cavaliers (+31.5); total: 69.0 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
College Football News and Previews
- Ohio State vs. Rutgers NCAA Football Preview - September 30, 2017
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- Arizona State vs. Stanford NCAA Football Preview - September 30, 2017
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals (-31.5)
With the 54-13 win last Saturday over the NC State Wolfpack, the Louisville Cardinals seem to have righted their ship after a couple of underwhelming weeks.
Lamar Jackson looked invincible as he strengthened his case for this season’s Heisman Trophy, which he’s now the odds-on favorite to win at -400. In the victory, Jackson racked up 431 all-purpose yards by throwing for 355 yards through the air on 30-of-34 passing, as well as 76 yards on the ground on 17 carries. He even found the end zone four times in Saturday’s contest – three passing and one rushing TD – with all of his scores coming in the first half (a new school record).
Jackson’s outstanding effort is a welcome sight for Louisville, especially after the team put up just 24 points against Duke the previous week. The defense, which got to pick off NC State three times and converted those turnovers to 17 points, has finally clamped down on the other side of the ball as well.
Looking ahead to this Saturday, you can’t argue that the Cardinals will manhandle the Cavaliers, but winning by over 31 points as dictated by the oddsmakers is no easy feat. Then again, the total has gone over in the their last five road games, which means that plenty of points will be scored regardless as they try to make quick work of a middling program in Virginia.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (+31.5)
Coming undone by the week are the Virginia Cavaliers, who fell to the UNC Tar Heels last weekend, 35-14 – -their second-lowest scoring output for the season.
While quarterback Kurt Benkert didn’t throw a pick in the loss, he did lose a fumble and finished the day with 19 completions on 32 attempts for a miserable 126 passing yards without a score. With a disappointing average of 3.9 yards per attempt, Benkert was benched by the fourth quarter for Connor Brewer, who was just as inept. Brewer went 2-for-12 for a sad six yards to close the game.
On the bright side, running back Taquan Mizzell rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He had seven receptions in the passing game too, but just mustered up 25 receiving yards. Don’t count on Mizzell to run as well as he did against the Tar Heels this Saturday, though, as the Cardinals just limited the Wolfpack to a mere 14 rushing yards last week.
Even Virginia’s defense won’t be able to save the team. That unit is giving up 456 yards per game to the opposition, and will now face a Louisville squad that’s averaging 52.6 points per contest. That’s already double the amount of points that the Cavaliers are putting up on a weekly basis (26.3).
To cap it all off, the Hoos have lost four of their last five home games (2-3 ATS), so the fans at Scott Stadium this Saturday appear to be in for another major letdown.
Writer’s Prediction
Jackson and the Cardinals (-31.5) stay scorching hot, 48-13.
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