Miami vs Louisville Odds and Picks

• The biggest game of the weekend pits ACC foes Louisville and Miami (FL) against each other on Saturday, Sept. 19th, at 7:30 pm ET at Cardinal Stadium
• The Cardinals are 2.5-point favorites after both teams won their season openers handily
• Find the odds, a breakdown of the matchup and a pick for the game in the article below

The lone matchup between ranked teams in college football this Saturday takes place in Louisville, where the No. 18 Cardinals host the No. 17 Miami (FL) Hurricanes at 7:30 pm ET on ABC.

Miami dominated Louisville in last year’s matchup, the first duel for these ACC schools since 2014. But the Cardinals are receiving the slight edge from oddsmakers heading into the 2020 edition.

Here’s a look at the current Miami (FL) vs. Louisville odds:

Miami (FL) vs. Louisville Odds

Odds as of Sept. 18th at FanDuel

Head-to-Head Matchup

Last season, Miami thumped Louisville, 52-27. That helped the Hurricanes easily cover their 6.5-point spread — and clear a low 49-point total by 30 points.

It’s worth noting, though, that the Miami offense is markedly different this year, with new starters at quarterback and running back.

Louisville quarterback Micale Cunningham, on the other hand, is back after a sophomore season in which he threw for 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions. The Cardinals also returned their starting running back and top two receivers from a year ago.

Don’t Anticipate Tate

Tate Martell might have a lot of Twitter and Instagram followers, but those numbers don’t have anything to do with his performance on the football field.

The former four-star quarterback recruit was suspended from Miami’s first game this season. He appears to be available for Saturday’s game after recently tweeting photos from a workout with the caption: “the work doesn’t stop..”

the work doesn’t stop.. pic.twitter.com/QI1FKa1AgZ

— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) September 15, 2020

But make no mistake, this team belongs to Houston transfer D’Eriq King. Martell wasn’t even listed among the Hurricanes’ top-three quarterbacks on the depth chart earlier this week.

Jakai Clark now listed as starting left guard over Ousman Traore on Miami Hurricanes depth chart for Week 2. pic.twitter.com/K7PB3p3X4E

— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) September 14, 2020

No Dallas, No Problem

The Hurricanes lost star running back DeeJay Dallas in this past spring’s NFL draft, but they got off to a fantastic start in the ground game in their opener against UAB, rushing for 337 yards and three scores on 52 carries (6.5 yards per rush).

Running is an important element of D’Eriq King’s game, and the quarterback scampered for 83 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries against the Blazers. He also threw for 141 yards and another touchdown on 26 attempts.

D'Eriq King's first TD as a Cane 🙌 pic.twitter.com/26rq0o8InF

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 11, 2020

Louisville yielded two rushing touchdowns to Western Kentucky last week, but held the Hilltoppers to a respectable 3.4 yards per rush. They’ll definitely face a stiffer challenge against the Hurricanes.

Continuity Factor

Let’s be honest: after facing substandard opponents in UAB and Western Kentucky last week, Miami and Louisville are both facing their first real test of the season. The fact that Louisville has returning starters at the most critical offensive positions means something.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐩𝐞:
About Satterday Night#GoCards pic.twitter.com/T6gBZdGa6B

— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) September 14, 2020

The setting of the game means something, too. There will be 12,000 fans at Cardinal Stadium (most of whom, obviously, will be rooting for Louisville), which should bring some energy. In this matchup, the home team has been favored the past four meetings and won all four.

We’ll back on that trend continuing, with a score that comes in just under the projected point total.

Pick: Louisville, -2.5 (-110); Under 64.5 (-106)