College Football Betting – Louisville vs. West Virginia

Louisville Cardinals (3-5 SU, 3-4 ATS) at West Virginia Mountaineers (6-2 SU, 2-5 ATS)

Saturday, November 7: 12:00  p.m.

College Football Betting Odds: West Virginia -19 ½ 

Here are some College Football Betting Trends which may impact this game:

• Louisville: 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games
• Louisville: 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games
• Louisville: The total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 6 games
• West Virginia: 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games
• West Virginia: 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
• West Virginia: The total has gone OVER in 5 of their last 7 games

My how times have changed. In the fall of 2006, Louisville Cardinals and West Virginia Mountaineers were both undefeated and ranked in the top 10 when they played in November. Fast forward to 2009, and both programs have lost high profile coaches, several players to the NFL, and maybe most importantly, their swagger.

Compared to Louisville, West Virginia’s program is in significantly better shape. The Mountaineers are 6-2, but are coming off an embarrassing loss last Friday at South Florida.

Offensively, West Virginia is led by fifth-year senior Jarrett Brown, who is getting his first extended playing time after backing up Pat White for the past four years. Brown has been good under center, throwing for 1500 yards and nine touchdowns, although he has had a lingering concussion which has hindered his performance some.

West Virginia also features superstar Noel Devine in their backfield, who came into last weekend as a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate. While a 43 yard performance against South Florida quieted that talk, don’t sleep on Devine, one of the truly elusive backs in college football.

As for Louisville, virtually nothing has gone right since Bobby Petrino left the program, following the incredible 2006 season. The Cardinals have turned into a cellar dweller in the Big East, and coach Steve Kragthorpe may be winding down his last few weeks as coach of Louisville unless he turns things around in a hurry.

Not only has Louisville’s offense been bad this year, they’ve been abysmal. They currently ranked 106th in all of college football, scoring just 20 points per game, and don’t rank in the top half of the sport in either total offense or rushing offense. Adding literal insult to injury, the Cardinals had to start walk-on Will Stein at quarterback last weekend, with former starters Justin Burke and Adam Froman unable to go to injury.

Louisville’s defense has been just as bad, if not worse than their struggling offense. They give up over 20 points a game, and 371 yards per contest on the ground.

While these two programs were once as proud as any, they’ve each taken a bit of an ego hit since 2006. West Virginia has still come out of things substantially better, and remember, to their credit they’ve won their last four bowl games, and are still somewhat relevant nationally.

Louisville on the other hand is counting down the days until they’ve rid themselves of Kragthorpe as this will most likely be his last season with the Cardinals.

West Virginia is close to a three touchdown favorite, which in almost any other circumstance would seem ridiculous. But this isn’t any other circumstance, Louisville is really that bad. If West

Virginia shows up with any pulse, they’ll cover the NCAAF betting odds easily.

Aaron’s Pick: West Virginia -19 ½