Rutgers travels to Louisville on Friday, determined to not look past the lame Cardinals and hoping to boost its 5-1 mark in Big East football action.
The Scarlet Knights should win this game, so long as they are not more focused on next Saturday's Big East battle with West Virginia. Still, the betting public has turned this game from a small favorite for Rutgers into a small home chalk situation for Louisville.
The Cardinals sit at 2-4 (3-3 ATS) on the season and are not a very good team. In comparison, the Scarlet Knights are currently 5-1 (5-1 ATS). Looking to wager on the totals? It looks like the UNDER has been a solid trend for both teams - Louisville is 0-5-1 OU, and Rutgers is 1-5 OU.
View Rutgers vs Louisville Odds and Stats.
Betting Line: Oddsmakers opened the Cardinals as 1-point underdogs in the game but that has changed during the week. The betting total sits around 40 for two teams that play tough defense and which have played almost exclusively UNDERs this NCAA football betting season so far.
Power Rankings / Prediction: The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Cardinals at No. 47 and the Scarlet Knights at No. 29 heading into this contest. Handicapping models project a 34-19 result in favor of the Scarlet Knights.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Louisville's No. 111-ranked offense (16.3 PPG) against a Scarlet Knights defense that ranks No. 12 at 16 PPG. The Cardinals passing attack has averaged 221.7 yards per game, more than the Scarlet Knights give up through the air (194.8 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Scarlet Knights own the league's No. 33-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 129 yards per game when on the road. Louisville, on the other hand, rates No. 109 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
Rutgers was a 21-20 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Navy. They failed to cover the 3–point spread as favorites, while the total score (41) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors.
In their last action, Louisville was a 25-16 loser on the road against Cincinnati. They covered the 13–point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (41) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights Trends:
When playing in October are 7-3
When playing on turf are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 3-7
Louisville Cardinals Trends:
When playing in October are 4-6
When playing on turf are 5-5
After being outgained are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 3-7
A few Scarlet Knights at Cardinals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Rutgers's last 5 games when playing Louisville
Rutgers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Rutgers's last 6 games
Rutgers is 11-4-1 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Louisville's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Louisville's last 5 games when playing Rutgers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Louisville's last 6 games
Louisville is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Next up:
Rutgers home to West Virginia, Saturday, October 29
Louisville home to Syracuse, Saturday, October 29
