The Louisville Cardinals, 2-0 and ranked No. 7 in this week's college football polls, look to make it a 3-0 start when they head down I-64 to Lexington for their annual Governor's Cup game with the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday afternoon (noon ET, ESPN).

In the early NCAA wagering the 'Ville, which has won the last two games in this Bluegrass State rivalry, was favored by 13 points over the 'Cats (1-1).

Kentucky is 2-10 ATS in 12 recent games as a double-digit underdog.



View Louisville vs Kentucky Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Fans backing the Wildcats here saw them open at Sportsbook as 10.5-point underdogs in this college football clash. (Check back shortly for Sportsbook totals at sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark as none was available at the time this preview was written.)

Power Rankings / Prediction: According to the Power Rankings here at OddsShark it's the No. 75-rated Wildcats and the No. 4-rated Cardinals in this matchup. Predictive formulas point to a 66-40 win for the Cardinals on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Kentucky's No. 55-ranked offense (33.5 PPG) against a Cardinals defense that ranks No. 9 at 7 PPG. The Wildcats passing attack has averaged 308 yards per game, more than the Cardinals give up through the air (145.5 YPG on average).



Louisville was a 44-7 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Eastern Kentucky. They failed to cover the 40.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 51 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. In Louisville's last outing, Teddy Bridgewater threw for 397 yards to lead the Cardinals over Eastern Kentucky 44-7 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

Kentucky was a 41-7 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Miami (Ohio). They covered the 17.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (48) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. In Kentucky's last outing, Maxwell Smith threw for 310 yards to lead the Wildcats over Miami (Ohio) 41-7 at Commonwealth Stadium.


Louisville Cardinals Trends:
When playing in September are 9-1
When playing on grass are 4-6
After outgaining opponent are 9-1
When playing outside the conference are 8-2

Kentucky Wildcats Trends:
When playing in September are 4-6
When playing on grass are 3-7
After outgaining opponent are 2-8
When playing outside the conference are 6-4

A few Cardinals at Wildcats trends to consider:
Louisville is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games
Louisville is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Louisville's last 5 games
Louisville is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Kentucky
Kentucky is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Louisville
Kentucky is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Louisville
Kentucky is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Louisville


Next up:
Louisville home to Florida International, Saturday, September 21
Kentucky home to Florida, Saturday, September 28