College Football Odds: Kentucky at Louisville
The Bluegrass State will host the annual rivalry game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. UK has won three straight over the Cardinals in the series, but Louisville won 7 of the past 11 match-ups. The Governor’s Cup is up for grabs and L’ville head man Charlie Strong will get his first taste of the bitterness these two schools have towards each other. Kentucky is listed as a 2.5 point favorite.
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Not many would have guessed that Kentucky finished with a 7-6 record last year and reached a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season. Rich Brooks decided to retire at the end of the year. The Wildcats had a plan in place to move offensive coordinator Joker Phillips into the head role. He inherits 11 returning starters and knows the personnel well. Morgan Newton will likely start at quarterback for the Cats after throwing for 706 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman. Veteran Mike Hartline is in the mix also, but Newton played more exclusively down the stretch a year ago. UK should be set at running back with the return of Derrick Locke and the electric Randall Cobb. Locke led the team in rushing with 907 yards and six scores, while Cobb is a converted quarterback that lines up at wide receiver the majority of the time. Kentucky loves to use Cobb in the Wildcat formation, which resulted in 10 rushing touchdowns by the junior last year. The top five receivers are back to aid a passing game that managed just 140 yards/game in 09’. Replacing four starters on the offensive line is a huge concern for the coaching staff. There is some talent in the two deep, but the line usually dictates how well an offense performs in the opener.
Louisville comes off a disappointing 4-8 season that led to the dismissal of Steve Kragthorpe as head coach. The athletic department and fans alike believe they hired a good one in former Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. Twelve starters are back including eight on the offensive end. Adam Froman earned the starting job last year and threw for 1354 yards with six touchdowns. His numbers were not outstanding, but he took care of the ball for the most part. Freshman Luke Woodley was Strong’s first recruit at quarterback and could challenge Froman for the starting job. Victor Anderson is one of the better running backs in the Big East when healthy. Although undersized, Anderson is shifty rushing for 473 yards and five scores in eight games. Bruising RB Bilal Powell surprised the team by dropping 20 pounds in the off-season giving him more mobility. Powell was a player that stood out in spring practice and could make a great impact this year. The Cards have nine of their top ten back on the offensive line making the transition to a new offense a little easier. Losing six of their top eight tacklers on defense is a huge hit, but Strong is a defensive minded head coach so this unit should show improvement over the course of the season.
This is a intriguing match-up for many reasons. You have two new head coaches looking to make a statement and set the tone for a new season. The inter-state rivalry is starting to heat up on the football field even though it will never match the intensity of basketball. I favor Louisville in this game because of the home field, experience on the offensive line and the emotional aspect of playing for a new head man that will have this team fired up.
Play: Louisville +2.5
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