SMU vs. Louisville Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 6

Reed Wallach | 4 Hours Ago

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) looks for an open pass during their game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

SMU has been reignited with the official move to Kevin Jennings as the team’s starting quarterback, but can the team take its talents on the road and hold up in ACC play? 

The Mustangs will play its first conference road game at Louisville on Saturday, who is coming off its first loss of the season to Notre Dame on the road. The Cardinals do appear to be more than capable this season with new quarterback Tyler Shough. Can the team avoid a letdown and beat its new conference foe? 

Here’s our betting preview:

SMU vs. Louisville Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• SMU: +24 (-110)
• Louisville: -24 (-110)

Moneyline

• SMU +1100
• Louisville: -2200

Total: 52.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

SMU vs. Louisville How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, October 5th
• Game Time: 12:00 PM EST
• Venue: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• SMU Record: 4-1
• Louisville Record: 3-1

SMU vs. Louisville Key Players to Watch

SMU

Kevin Jennings: Jennings has reinvigorated the SMU offense, who has scored a combined 108 points over the last two weeks in wins against TCU and Florida State. This season, Jennings has passed for 733 yards with six passing touchdowns and another on the ground with only one interception. 

Louisville

Caullin Lacy: Lacy made his Louisville debut after transferring from South Alabama against Notre Dame and made an instant impact in the Cardinals offense, catching five passes for 71 yards against an elite defense. 

SMU vs. Louisville Prediction and Pick

The Mustangs have put up some big numbers of late, but I’m not sold that this offense is back to a high octane one that we became accustomed to last season. The team was out-gained the last two weeks, feasting on a +7 turnover margin to blowout its two opponents. 

Meanwhile, Louisville has been able to hit big plays, but I do give this SMU defensive line plenty of credit, elite against the run and a secondary that is capable of turning the opponent over, leading the country in turnovers forced. 

Now, there will be regression, but I do believe that this game could feature less scoring than expected with the state of each defensive line. 

The Cards are fresh off a physical effort at Notre Dame, and needed two defensive scores to score to break 30 points against Georgia Tech. 

While it may seem counterintuitive with two explosive offenses on the field, I’m going to side with each defense to keep this game under the total. 

PICK: UNDER 58.5 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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