UCF vs Louisville Prediction and Betting Odds | Sept 9
UCF vs Louisville Betting Preview
WagerTalk college football handicapper Kevin Dolan shares his thoughts on Friday night’s primetime clash between UCF and Louisville. The Cardinals stole last year’s contest with a 66-yard pick-six in the closing minute. Will the Golden Knights be able to exact some revenge on their home turf?
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| Friday, September 9 | College Football Week 2 Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | UCF Golden Knights -6.5 vs Louisville Cardinals |
| Total: | o/u 61.5 Points |
| Location: | FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida |
| Game Time: | 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
UCF vs Louisville Analysis
Louisville will look to bounce back off a disappointing 31-7 loss on the road against Syracuse last weekend with a much better performance here against Central Florida on Friday.
Cardinals QB Malik Cunningham had two interceptions in that game against Syracuse and threw for just 152 yards as Louisville was pounded on the ground by over 200 yards of rushing offense by the Orange.
UCF, meanwhile, blew out South Carolina State by 46 points last week in a game they were never truly troubled in.
The Cardinals have won two of the three meetings between the two teams historically, with the last one coming just last season with Louisville winning 42-35 in a pulsating game over in Kentucky. However, the two teams have never previously met in Florida.
Satterfield Looking For Bounce-Back
Cardinals’ head coach Scott Satterfield is opening up with back-to-back road games for the first time in his four seasons in charge of Louisville.
He’ll no doubt be hoping the second game goes a lot better than the first, however, as the seven points scored by the Cardinals in last week’s loss against Syracuse is tied for the lowest points haul under Satterfield’s entire time in charge of Louisville. That loss also marked the Cardinals’ worst turnover margin in almost two years as well.
UCF Employs Shut-Down Defense In Orlando
The UCF Knights were lights-out on defense last season in Florida, and will no doubt be looking for more of the same this season.
The Knights ranked joint fourth in the country last year on overall opponent yards per play at home, restricting opposing offenses to just 4.1 yards per play on average, with only Georgia, Clemson, and Liberty posting better overall defensive numbers last season.
UCF vs Louisville Prediction
UCF is a difficult team to fade in Flordia as they have now won eight-straight games here of late, their last loss coming against a top-ten nationally-ranked Cincinnati side all the way back in November 2020.
However, despite that, the Knights haven’t done so well as heavy chalk in this role previously, covering just three of their nine games last year when installed as -6.5 or greater favorites.
With Scott Satterfield coming off that dismal offensive performance, expect a response from Louisville in this one and for the Cardinals to cover the spread here on Friday against the UCF Knights.
Happy Hour CFB Kickoff Show
Iowa has held the Cy-Hawk Trophy since 2015. Can Iowa State finally break through this season and bring it back to Ames? Join Dave Cokin, Ralph Michaels and Tony Mejia for the Happy Hour CFB Kickoff Show as we preview the College Football Week 2 slate from a variety of betting angles.
College Football Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college football point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the NCAAF Week 2 games, including this UCF vs Louisville showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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