Louisville vs Auburn College Football Betting Analysis

Posted by Alex Murphy on Saturday,September 5, 2015 12:02, EDT in

In arguably one the biggest games this Saturday, the Auburn Tigers will be locking horns with the Louisville Cardinals at Georgia Dome for a season-opening NCAA Football clash. The No. 6 Tigers are placed as 10.5-point home favorites over the unranked Cardinals, but are they worth that much juice in NCAA Football lines? Find out in the game breakdown and analysis prepared for you below:

How To Bet the Cardinals vs.  Tigers NCAA Football Odds, TV & Game Info

Venue: Georgia Dome; Atlanta, Georgia
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2015
Time: 7:00 P.M. ET
TV: CBS
NCAAF Odds: TBA

Why Bet on the Louisville Cardinals

The Cardinals’ first season in the ACC in 2014 was a memorable one, as they finished the season with solid 9-4 SU record, along with a 7-6 ATS mark. Head coach Bobby Petrino and his team mostly relied on the team’s mean defense that gave up just 308.5 total yards allowed per game, good for sixth-best in the nation, and a good-enough defense that mostly took down its opponents by running the ball.

Entering the 2015 season, the Cards will be without 7 starters from their terrific defense, which raises several questions about their ability to maintain sturdiness in the D-line. Still, with defensive ends Pio Vatuvei and Sheldon Rankins and nose tackle DeAngelo Brown back in the fold, there should be enough clout to motivate another strong defensive performance.

On the offense, dual-threat quarterback Reggie Bonnafon will be looking to make the most of a new receiving corps unit that lost its top three receivers. To do well, former five-star recruit WR James Quick will need to step up, together with transfers Jamari Staples and Ja’Quay Savage. In the running game, the Cards are blessed to have star running back Brandon Radcliff back in the fold after averaging 5.1 yards per carry last season. So if the receivers don’t deliver, Radcliffe could put in work with his fellow backs for a good ground game.

Why Bet on the Auburn Tigers

For the Tigers, 8-5 SU and 4-9 ATS in 2014, there is new quarterback leading the team not named Nick Marshall. His name is Jeremy Johnson and he is not much of a runner, meaning Auburn is likely to concentrate more on passing the ball than running it on the ground. The revamped Auburn offense, which is mostly constituted of new faces, will need to hit the ground running from the get-go if the Tigers are to maintain the explosiveness that made Marshall a huge success.

In the defense, the Tigers were a middling unit, but thanks to the hiring of defense guru Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator, the Tigers can hope of a stronger D-line in 2015. It remains to be seen if Muschamp can breathe life into Auburn’s struggling defense from last season, but if his reputation is anything to go by, then the former Florida coach should be able to make the most of talents such as five-star defensive end recruit Byron Cowart, pass rush specialist Carl Lawson, former five-star recruit tackle Montravius Adams and up-and-coming defensive tackle Dontavius Russell.

Our Expert Louisville @ Auburn Key Betting Trends

-Louisville is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
-Auburn is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
-Louisville is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games
-Auburn is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games
-The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisville’s last 5 games

My Louisville @ Auburn Betting Prediction

The Tigers have a solid unit that is likely to win and cover the spread in this game, but the total doesn’t look likely to go as above the 57-point mark, so bank on UNDER.