College Football Betting – Louisville Cardinals vs Oregon State Beavers

In Saturday’s college football betting, the Louisville Cardinals will look to do the unthinkable, and travel cross-country in hopes of springing an upset against the Oregon State Beavers. Can it be done? Let’s take a look.

Louisville Cardinals (1-1 SU, 0-2 ATS) at Oregon State Beavers (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS)

Saturday, September 18: 5:30 p.m.

NCAA Betting Odds:

Louisville: +19 ½
Oregon State: -19 ½

This will be Louisville’s first road trip under new coach Charlie Strong, and it certainly won’t be an easy one, as they have to travel across three time zones to take on Oregon State.

If Louisville is to be your college football betting pick Saturday, they’ll need improved play from quarterback Adam Froman.

The senior is still adapting to the spread offense implemented under coach Strong and it shows, as he’s completing just 55 percent of his passes, and has thrown just one touchdown to two interceptions so far this season. The rest of the offense is still a work in progress, but at least there are signs of improvement in the running game. Big back Bilal Powell has emerged as an All-Big East caliber performer with back-to-back 90+ yard rushing games, and is averaging close to eight yards a carry.

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Oregon State on the other hand has played just one game this season, making them tough to decipher in this weekend’s college football betting picks. Still, that one game was an impressive one, as they battled all game long with the No. 5 ranked TCU Horned Frogs in Texas, before losing 30-21. They return to Oregon this week looking for their first win of the season.

The key for the Beavers could very well be quarterback Ryan Katz. While receiver James Rodgers and his brother Jacquizz get all the hype, it is Katz whose play is most important for Oregon State in the win. The sophomore showed a big arm in Oregon State’s opener, completing nine passes for 159 yards, and two touchdowns. However TCU’s tough defense kept Katz off-balance all day, as he completed just 36 percent of his passes, a number that will need to improve if Oregon State is to be a serious player this year.

And it’s because of Katz’s erratic play that Louisville should be your pick in this weekend’s college football betting.

We’re not saying that the Cardinals will win straight up, because they won’t. But at the same time, this team is improving every week, and getting close to three touchdowns seems like a lot for them.

Also, for all the talk about Oregon State as a Pac-10 favorite heading into the year, here’s the truth about the Beavers: They’re a notoriously awful team in September. Dating back to 2008, they’re just 4-5 in the month, including their opening loss to TCU.

Take Oregon State to win, but Louisville to cover in this weekend’s college football betting. It’s the best bet on the board!

The Pick: Louisville +19 ½