College football betting continues in Week 2 as Scott Satterfield looks to continue his overhaul of the Louisville Cardinals football program as he begins Year 2 with the team against the visiting Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Louisville is coming off of an impressive 8-5 turnaround, and while there are still some big holes to fill, this group shows no resemblance to the one which suffered through that disastrous 2018 campaign.
We break down the NCAA football odds with our best college football picks and predictions Western Kentucky vs Louisville on Saturday, September 12 with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs Louisville Cardinals betting preview
Weather
There could be some inclement weather at Cardinal Stadium Saturday night. The forecast is calling for partial cloudiness at kickoff, but a 60 percent chance of thunderstorms later in the evening. However, winds will be about 7 mph from the South and temperatures will be in the low-80s around kickoff. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Injuries
Western Kentucky: Jakairi Moses RB (Out).
Louisville: Kei'trel Clark CB (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
Louisville was in several shootouts down the stretch last season, and as a result the Over went 5-0 in the Cardinals last five games overall. Get the latest NCAA football betting trends for Western Kentucky vs. Louisville.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
The overhaul at Louisville continues, but Satterfield certainly has a strong foundation in place. The Cardinals return 15 starters overall, and the offense - which was one of the best in the ACC last season - should be even better in 2020 as they return a very talented three-headed monster in Micale Cunningham, Javian Hawkins and Tutu Atwell.
Satterfield has found his man under center in Cunningham. The dual-threat quarterback had 22 touchdown passes with only five interceptions while running for 482 yards and six scores. If Cunningham can improve his completion percentage in 2020, watch out.
Meanwhile, running back Hawkins rumbled for 1,525 yards as a freshman (second in the ACC) and Atwell led the ACC in receiving yards per game. Yup, the Cardinals might have the best playmaking group in the ACC outside of Clemson.
They go up against a Hilltoppers team that had a solid showing in the C-USA last season, powered by a strong defense. But WKU didn’t face a whole lot potent offenses last season, the best probably being this same Louisville team, which put up 415 yards in an eventual 38-21 win. On top of that, the Hilltoppers will be replacing their starting quarterback Ty Storey and 1,000-yard receiver Lucky Jackson.
The WKU defense will keep the Hilltoppers in the game for a bit, but they won’t be able to keep up with the Cardinals’ playmakers as the game wears on.
PREDICTION: Louisville -11.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The defense is the side of the ball where Satterfield hopes to see improvement. The Cardinals were torched by opponents for most of the 2019 season, finishing dead last in the ACC in points allowed, 10th in points allowed per game, and really struggling against the pass.
But luckily, for the Cardinals, the Hilltoppers are starting Davis Shanley, who only played limited snaps two years ago and didn’t get a proper offseason. So, expect WKU to rely on running back Gaej Walker and a veteran offensive line. Walker rushed for 1,208 yards at a clip of 5.0 yards per carry last season. Even still, the Hilltoppers averaged just 25.4 points per game against in C-USA play.
While the Cardinals can certainly attack you through the air, running the ball is the preferred method of attack. So, with an emphasis on the run game for both teams, this game is a good candidate to sneak below the total.
PREDICTION: Under 58 (-110)
Team to Score First Prop Pick
As mentioned, Louisville had an explosive offense last season, and they should be even better in 2020. The Cardinals are also a solid bet to get off to a good start in this game. They weren’t favored a whole lot last season, but when they were, they showed why they were laying points. The Cardinals scored first in all five games in which they were favorites last year, which includes notching the first two scores in their matchup with Western Kentucky. This bet is a little juicy, but it should pay out.
PREDICTION: Louisville (-200)
Western Kentucky vs Louisville betting card
- Louisville -11.5 (-110)
- Under 58 (-110)
- First Team to Score - Louisville (-200)
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