No. 21 Louisville (-6.5) @ Virginia TV: ESPN Gameplan 12:30pm Saturday
Daniel: This is a good ACC matchup (even though I still can’t get used to conference alignment with some teams). Virginia battled UCLA, then a top-10 team, in its opener, falling by just one score (28-20) in the end, and then took care of Richmond 45-13 by forcing seven turnovers. Louisville is off to a good start as well, doing Bobby Petrino-like-things such as putting up nearly 500 yards of total offense per game so far this season. And while I think the spread is a little too generous, I think Louisville scores enough to win this one, though I think it comes down to the end. Winner: Louisville 28-24
Houston: I like Louisville a lot. They’ve got some very talented players across the board, which was very apparent in their win over Miami in week one. Their quarterback, Will Gardner, appears to be settling in nicely with Petrino’s offensive system and looks poised for a big year. I think Louisville will have greater athletic advantages over Virginia than UCLA did at certain spots and I think the Cardinals have a big day. They may struggle early in the game because of their youth, but I expect them to settle in during the second half for a pull-away victory. Winner: Louisville 34-24
Reed: When you’re picking this game, it means the slate across the nation just isn’t very good. Yes. Virginia looked solid in a loss to UCLA. Yes. Louisville may be better than advertised under Bobby Petrino. And this is now an ACC matchup after conference realignment. But I don’t expect it to be a particularly interesting game. Virginia actually has a talent edge in this one but they haven’t proven they can beat a team as well-coached as Louisville. That program is improving, but picking against Petrino when he has even comparable talent is ill advised. They burned me once when they beat Miami on Labor Day. I’m not falling for it again. Winner: Louisville 27-17
Richard: Mike London’s Cavaliers got the nation’s attention when they gave UCLA all they could handle in the season opener. UVA bottled up what was expected to be a good Bruin offense. UCLA needed 3 defensive TDs just to get out of Charlottesville with a 28-20 win. The Virginia defense forced 7 turnovers last week to allow the Cavaliers to snap a 10 game losing streak with a win over Richmond. The Cavalier defense is a disruptive group that uses pressure on the QB to generate turnovers. Bobby Petrino’s Louisville offense will have its hands full in their first road game in the ACC. I expect Petrino to utilize a quick strike passing game, and a solid running game to try to mitigate Virginia’s pressure. No matter the opponent, Bobby Petrino offenses always find a way to put points on the board. Virginia’s offense on the other hand isn’t exactly a well oiled machine. Unless Virginia can rattle Louisville’s talented young QB Will Gardner, they won’t be able to keep up with the Cardinals. Winner: Louisville 27-12
