NC State Wolfpack vs. Louisville Cardinals Betting Preview
Where: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium — Louisville, KY
When: Saturday, October 22, 2016, 12:00 PM ET
Line: NC State Wolfpack (+20) vs. Louisville Cardinals (-20); total: 60.0 – view all NCAA Football odds and lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
Writer’s Pick: Louisville Cardinals (-20)
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Betting on the NC State Wolfpack (+20)
NC State was just a 33-yard field goal away from destroying Clemson’s perfect season. Unfortunately, the Wolfpack blew it as Kyle Bambard’s potential game-winning kick sailed towards the right, nearly hitting the goal post.
Anyway, you can’t disregard the strong effort that Dave Doeron’s crew showed up with. They knew the then-No. 3 Tigers were the far superior program and it didn’t hinder them from playing one of, if not their best football. NC State gathered up 397 offensive yards against a proven Clemson D and also handed Heisman Trophy candidate Deshaun Watson (+500) his first-ever Pick Six.
The ‘Pack now have another chance to take down a powerhouse team in the shape of No. 7 Louisville. Beating the Cardinals is going to be just as difficult, or quite harder, as going up against Clemson, but the loss to the Tigers was certainly a confidence booster.
Expect the same type of aggression, energy and overall effort coming from NC State. QB Ryan Finley, who passed for 231 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions versus the Tigers, should find a lot of opportunities in utilizing the pass as long as Matthew Dayes continues to breakthrough opposing fronts.
The senior running back has rushed for more than 100 yards in all but one game this season. Another one against the Cardinals this Saturday would be his fourth-consecutive 100-yard performance.
The Wolfpack are 5-5 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals (-20)
Last Friday night’s bounce-back win over Duke was an ugly one for the seventh-ranked Cardinals, who needed almost everything they had to dispose of the Blue Devils.
Lamar Jackson, as always, was the main protagonist. The second-year QB racked up 325 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, one of which was a crucial 2-yard score to give his team a much-needed cushion in the final minutes. Sure, Jackson and co. didn’t blowout their opponent like how they’ve been doing so all season long, but the outcome was all that mattered.
The Cardinals could find themselves in another close game, this time versus the Wolfpack. NC State owns one of the peskiest defenses this season, ranking among the best overall in points allowed (18.7 PPG) and total defense (315.7 YPG). But that D is in for a huge challenge in stopping the nation’s top offense. Louisville is averaging more than 600 total yards and is scoring at least 50 points per game.
Plus, arguably no one in the NC State defense is capable of preventing Jackson from causing all kinds of trouble on the ground. He has at least one rushing touchdown in each game this season, including 100-yard outings in all but one game. Jackson is also currently the leading favorite (-180) to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.
Louisville is 3-2 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Louisville (-20) wins and covers.
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