The 11th-ranked Louisville Cardinals are set for a home matchup against the Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 ET. The Cardinals are looking to improve to 9-1, while the Cavaliers are searching for their third win of the season. To make the action even better, you can claim several Kentucky sports betting welcome bonuses with our promo codes.
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Virginia vs Louisville Preview
Oddsmakers are favoring the top-25 Cardinals heavily in this ACC matchup. Louisville is 20.5-point favorites on most sports betting platforms. When it comes to the moneyline, Louisville has odds of -1200, while Virginia has odds of +750. The total, or over/under, is listed at 50.5 points. Keep in mind that these odds can vary from sportsbook to sportsbook, and are subject to change up until kickoff.
Virginia Cavaliers: Looking For Another Massive Upset
Virginia head coach Tony Elliott is in his second year of trying to rebuild the Cavalier football program. After posting a record of 3-7 last season, the Cavs enter this matchup with a 2-7 record. The wins may not be there right now, but there are reasons for optimism in Charlottesville. Four of Virginia’s seven losses have come by three points or less, and the Cavaliers pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the college football season on Oct. 21 when they took down then No. 10 and undefeated North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Having already played spoiler once, the Cavs are looking to pull off another big road upset on Thursday.
The Cavaliers enter this matchup after a disappointing 45-17 loss to Georgia Tech at home on Saturday. Starting QB Anthony Muskett went down with an injury on the fifth play of the game, and on a short week, he is not expected to play on Thursday. True freshman QB Anthony Colandrea took over for Muskett and threw for 200 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Colandrea has seen decent playing time this season, seeing action in five games. He’s completed 60.4% of his passes for 1,123 yards. Turnovers have been a problem for the young gunslinger, as he has as many interceptions as touchdowns (7).
One player to watch for Virginia in this game is WR Malik Washington. Washington’s 1,044 receiving yards ranks third in all of college football. On the year, he has hauled in 79 catches and six touchdowns.
Louisville Cardinals: Defending Home Turf
The Louisville Cardinals are seeing immediate success under new head coach Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals are 8-1, and find themselves at No. 11 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. After suffering their first loss of the season against Pitt on Oct. 14, the Cardinals have defeated their last two opponents by a combined score of 57-3. Last week against Virginia Tech, the Cardinals held the Hokies to 140 total yards. They had no problem getting off the field, allowing Virginia Tech to convert two of 13 third and fourth down attempts. The Cardinals’ defense is playing at an elite level right now. Going up against a true freshman QB in this one, look for the Louisville defense to stay aggressive and give Colandrea issues.
On the year, QB Jack Plummer has completed 65.3% of his passes for 2,159 yards and 14 touchdowns. If the Cardinals want to be avoid being victims of a major upset, Plummer is going to have to take care of the ball. He has thrown eight interceptions this season, but only two have come at home. Plummer’s favorite target is WR Jamari Thrash, who has 46 catches for 712 yards and six touchdowns on the year. He figures to be involved in the Louisville offense early and often.
Louisville is 6-5 against Virginia in program history, and 4-1 at home. The Cardinals defeated the Cavaliers 34-17 in last year’s matchup in Charlottesville.
Virginia vs Louisville Prediction
Both of these teams played five days ago. On such a short week, it would be somewhat surprising to see a shootout. Colandrea is a true freshman QB going on the road against a defense that is playing lights out. Not only that, but he’s doing it with just four days to prepare. The Cardinal defense has allowed three points over its last two games. While it’s tough to expect a third straight game holding opponents to that low of a total, they should be able to limit Colandrea and the Virginia offensive attack. On the other side, the Louisville offense has been solid, but it hasn’t needed Plummer to do much over the last few weeks. He has completed 11 passes in each of his last two games. He has also looked really rusty at times this season, and consistency has been hard to come by. Consider the Under 50.5 in this matchup. You can find this bet on FanDuel at -110 odds.
