The Louisville Cardinals fly into Doak Campbell Stadium to square-off with head coach Jimbo Fishers’ Florida State Seminoles in some ACC Conference action. The inner-conference contest is slated to begin on Saturday, October 21st at High Noon. This interesting match-up can be watched on ESPN to kick-off your Saturday football action after College Gameday. The Seminoles find themselves as a -6.5 point favorite heading into this game and the over/under currently sits at 59.
The Louisville Cardinals are coming into this ACC rivalry game after being shocked at home to the Boston College Eagles 45-42. Not only did the Cardinal’s defense surrender 45 points to the nation’s 102nd ranked offense but they also gave up well over 350 yards rushing. Eagles’ running back AJ Dillon absolutely decimated their front seven with over 270 yards on the ground. Louisville was favored by 20 points coming into the game and found another way to squander a victory when they needed it the most.
The Florida State Seminoles are finally starting to get their bearings after losing starting quarterback Deondre Francois on opening day. The Tallahassee Titans have now reeled off consecutive victories and are only one game under the .500 mark. The Duke Blue Devils were the Seminoles latest victims. In that ACC battle, Florida State used their amazing defense to hold Duke to only 10 points. When all was said and done, they managed to score enough to come away with a 17-10 victory.
Louisville Cardinals (4-3)
Once again, the Louisville Cardinals find themselves reeling after an underachieving effort. This hasn’t been the first time. Time and time again, right when you think that Louisville will rise to the top they turn around and give it all away. Coach Petrino is now on a bit of a hot seat. That’s because he sports one of the best quarterbacks in the country and can’t find a way to win games when they need it the most.
Lamar Jackson has been a fixture at the top of almost all the major statistical categories since he has taken over the reigns in 2016. Of all people, Jackson is frustrated the most. Especially because of the lack of consistency his Cardinal’s teammates display from one week to the next.
Well, last week’s most recent debacle certainly wasn’t his fault. Once again, Jackson was lights-out, throwing for 332 yards and two scores with one pick. We all know that he is the best running quarterback in the FBS. Last Saturday was no exception as he took off for 180 more yards and three trips to pay-dirt. The numbers speak for themselves. This year, the defending Heisman winner has passed for 2,322 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also leads all quarterbacks with 690 yards rushing and 10 more end zone appearances.
Malik Williams and Reggie Bonnafon help Lamar Jackson out when taking handoffs out of the backfield. Together, they have complimented him by running for just over 500 yards and five scores. Combined with their signal-caller, the rushing attack now ranks 28th in the country with 208 yards a game on the ground. Williams will not be suiting up for this match as he is sidelined with a wrist injury.
Three wideouts team up to help the passing game produce efficiently on Saturdays. The trio has worked together for 84 receptions for over 1,400 yards and 11 scores. Dez Fitzpatrick is the head honcho of this squad, reeling in 33 catches for 541 yards and seven touchdowns. All three of the aforementioned stats are team-highs.
After the first three weeks of the season, it seemed that the Cardinal’s defense started to figure things out. As a result, they climbed back into the top half of most college football categories. The wheels have appeared to once again come off as Louisville has surrendered 84 points in their last two games. Now, the unit sits 86th in the nation, allowing just a hair under 30 points a contest.
Florida State Seminoles (2-3)
It’s hard to believe that we’re talking about a Seminole team that is currently sitting under .500, five games into the 2017 season. With that being said, one of those losses was to Alabama. Another was a last-second defeat at the hands of the Miami Hurricanes. Not bad really, considering they are a new work in progress after losing their starting quarterback.
Freshman quarterback James Blackmon has been baptized by fire in 2017. Thrust into the starting role, he has done okay considering the competition he has faced. Overall, Blackmon has tallied 799 yards through the air on 68 completions. He also has five touchdowns to go with his four interceptions. Against Duke, the youngster struggled. In that game, he only hit one touchdown pass but had two picks on the day.
Running backs Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick have been the heroes for the Seminole offense over the last two games. Both of them have stepped up and gave Florida State a better option than their greenhorn signal-caller. Akers has breached the century mark twice in the last two games. Patrick has also pitched in 189 yards of his own. Together, the two tailbacks have rushed for almost 750 yards but only two touchdowns.
Auden Tate has separated himself as the go-to guy for Florida State’s pass-catching department. He leads the team with 19 catches and 312 yards. The lanky 6’5 wideout also leads the offense with five trips to the end zone. He has had a few injury problems recently but will be ready to go against Louisville.
The Seminole defense has done just about everything they can to keep them in games. They sit 21st in the country against the run (114 ypg), and 28th in total yards (330). Furthermore, the unit as a whole sits 38th in the nation by only allowing 20 points a game.
Prediction
Well, how in the world do you try to prognosticate the Louisville Cardinals? That question has befuddled me since writing for this website over the last two college football campaigns. Nevertheless, I was asked to cover this ACC clash so I’m going to give it my all and hope for the best.
This match-up pits the strong offense of the Cardinals against the tough defense of the Seminoles. Conversely, it also exhibits Florida State’s unproductive offense against the Cardinal’s up and down defense. Picking a winner is one thing, but picking the spread is always another. In this case, I believe that it actually works in favor of the line. The Seminoles could very well find a way to win this game but I believe it is going to be closer than a touchdown.
The best play here is to take Louisville to respond from a horrible home loss and cover the 6.5 spread as a road dog. If that line bothers you, buy it up to a touchdown or even seven with the half point hook. It might cost you a little more but what’s the difference if you cash in a winner. As for the over/under, I’m not touching this either way. There are just too many unknowns for me to lay my hard earned money down. If you put my feet to the fire, I would err on the side of the under. #moneytreesgrow @EriktheHun
Trends
The Cardinals are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 road games.
The Cardinals are 3-13-1 ATS in their last 17 games overall.
The Over is 11-4 in the Cardinals last 15 conference games.
The Seminoles are 0-2-2 ATS in their last 4 conference games.
The Seminoles are 0-3-2 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Under is 5-0 in the Seminoles last 5 games overall.
