Louisville will try to stay alive in its effort to win the Big East title when it hosts 4-6 UConn Saturday afternoon (noon ET, ESPN3).

The 9-1 Cardinals, who can take the conference title with a win Saturday and another next Thursday vs. Rutgers, were early 13-point favorites over the Huskies, who need to win their last two games to become bowl-eligible.



View Connecticut vs Louisville Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: The home team opened as 12-point favorites in this NCAA football battle at Sportsbook. No over under line was available early in the week, but was set to posted shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction: According to the Power Rankings here at OddsShark it's the No. 22-rated Cardinals and the No. 79-rated Huskies in this matchup. Predictive formulas point to a 32-22 win for the Cardinals on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Louisville's No. 37-ranked offense (33.2 PPG) against a Huskies defense that ranks No. 19 at 18.4 PPG. The Cardinals passing attack has averaged 288.7 yards per game, more than the Huskies give up through the air (188.6 YPG on average).

In comparing defenses, the Huskies own the league's No. 19-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 125.6 yards per game when on the road. Louisville, on the other hand, rates No. 81 this week in generating rushing yards at home.

In their last action, Connecticut was a 24-17 Sportsbook at home against Pittsburgh. They covered the 3.5-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (41) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Lyle McCombs went over the 100-yard mark (120) in his team's latest effort as Connecticut defeated Pittsburgh by a score of 24-17 on Friday.

In their last action, Louisville was a 45-26 loser on the road against Syracuse. They failed to cover the 1-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (71) was profitable news for OVER bettors. In their last game, Louisville's aerial attack generated 424 yards but it was the Orange coming away with a 45-26 victory over Louisville at Carrier Dome.


Connecticut Huskies Trends:
When playing in November are 8-2
When playing on turf are 2-8
After being outgained are 3-7
When playing within the conference are 3-7

Louisville Cardinals Trends:
When playing in November are 6-4
When playing on turf are 8-2
After being outgained are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 8-2

A few Huskies at Cardinals trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Connecticut's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Connecticut's last 8 games on the road
Connecticut is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Connecticut is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Louisville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Louisville is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisville's last 5 games
Louisville is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games


Next up:
Connecticut home to Cincinnati, Saturday, December 1
Louisville at Rutgers, Thursday, November 29