The Louisville Cardinals (+21) will meet their in-conference nemesis No. 13 Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. The matchup starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and ESPN2 is in line to broadcast the action.
Louisville Cardinals vs. Syracuse Orange Betting Preview
Louisville is the noticeable underdog here and is currently getting 21 points from bookmakers. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 68.5 points. Some good live betting scenarios may exist during the game.
The over has gotten the bulk of the early sharp action. The game’s O/U initially opened at 67.5.
The less-than-stellar Cardinals are 1-8 against the spread (ATS) and are down 5.5 units so far. The team has posted an O/U record of 6-3. The surprising Orange have gained 4.1 units this season. The team is 6-3 ATS and has an O/U record of 5-4.
The Cardinals are an ugly 2-7 straight up (SU), including 0-6 SU against conference opponents. The Orange are 7-2 SU overall and 4-2 SU in conference play.
Louisville comes into this matchup on a three-game winning streak while Syracuse has dropped each of its last six. The Cardinals are looking to get back on track after a 77-16 defeat to Clemson last week. the Cardinals completed 17-of-34 passes for 231 yards and two interceptions. Jawon Pass went 12-for-24 for 110 yards and two interceptions while Malik Cunningham completed five-of-10 for 121 yards. Jaylen Smith (five receptions, 63 yards) and Dez Fitzpatrick (three catches, 59 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
The Syracuse Orange just earned a lopsided 41-24 win over Wake Forest. The defense allowed the Demon Deacons to rush for 159 yards on 44 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Greg Dortch had a good showing in the loss, recording 95 yards and a score on nine catches for Wake Forest. For Syracuse, Eric Dungey completed 23-of-35 passes for 157 yards. Dungey (119 rushing yards on 24 attempts, one TD) and Dontae Strickland (64 yards on 13 carries) handled the running game while Sean Riley (eight receptions, 64 yards) and Jamal Custis (five catches, 62 yards) led all Syracuse pass-catchers in the win.
Louisville has run the ball on 47.9 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 44.7 percent across possessions in conference play. Syracuse has a rush percentage of 54.9 percent, and has kept it on the ground 51.6 percent of the time against ACC opponents. The Cardinals have produced 113 rush yards/game (including 99 per game versus Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 14 scores on the ground this year. The Orange are logging 204 rush yards per game (158 in conference) and have 27 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Orange may own the advantage in all aspects of the ground game. Their running backs has generated 4.5 yards per carry while the defense is allowing a YPC of 4.3 to opponents. The Cardinals have rushed for 3.4 yards per carry while allowing 6.0 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Cards offense has averaged 232 yards through the air overall (264 per game against conference opposition) and has nine passing TDs so far. The Orange have recorded 274 pass yards per contest (284.5 against ACC foes) and have 17 total pass scores.
Louisville appears to have an edge when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has let opponents rush for an average of 277 yards and pass for 185 yards per game. The Syracuse defense has allowed 267.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 165.2 yards per game on the ground. The Orange are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.68 to opponents, while the Cardinals have allowed an ugly 8.86 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pass has amassed 1,339 passing yards this year, and has completed 54 percent of his 210 attempts with six passing scores and 10 interceptions. He has a 3.70 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.15 over the last two outings.
Chatarius Atwell, Jaylen Smith and Trey Smith have collectively accounted for 475 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
Eric Dungey has completed 142-of-238 passes for 1,590 yards, 10 TDs and four INTs for Syracuse. His ANY/A stands at 6.11 for the season and 7.31 over his past two outings.
We expect Dungey to spread the ball around early and often in this one. Sean Riley (388 receiving yards and two receiving TDs this season), Eric Dungey (zero receiving yards), and Nykeim Johnson (326 receiving yards, two TDs) have collectively notched 370 receiving yards over the last two games.
When these two squads faced each other last year, Louisville knocked Syracuse off handily 56-10.
NCAA Prediction: Louisville Cardinals vs. Syracuse Orange
SU Winner – Syracuse, ATS Winner – Louisville, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Syracuse defense has sacked opposing QBs 27 times this season. Louisville has registered just eight sacks.
The Syracuse offense has lost four fumbles this season while the Louisville offense has lost seven.
The Cardinals offense has tallied five pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Orange have accounted for 10 such plays.
The Louisville defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Syracuse has given up 11 such plays.
The Louisville offense has created six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Syracuse has created 12 such runs.
The Cardinals defense has allowed 22 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Orange have given up 15 such runs.
The O/U for Syracuse’s last game was set at 78. The under cashed in the 41-24 win over Wake Forest.
Over its last three matches, Syracuse is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Over its last three matchups, Louisville is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The O/U for Louisville’s previous game was set at 61.5. The over cashed in the team’s 77-16 defeat to Clemson.
As a team, Louisville has rushed for 2.9 yards per attempt over its past three games and 3.5 over its last two.
Syracuse has averaged 3.7 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.6 over its past two.
+++++
