Ohio vs. Louisville Odds
LOUISVILLE, KY (The Spread) – No. 9 Louisville takes center stage on Sunday when it hosts Ohio at 3:30PM ET on ESPN in the opening weekend of college football.
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Louisville is coming off an 11-2 record during the 2012 season in which the Cardinals went 6-7 against the spread. Ohio went 9-4 last season and the Bobcats were 5-8 against the spread. This is the first meeting between these two since 1959.
Trends show that Ohio is 5-1 against the spread in its last 6 non-conference games but just 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games on fieldturf. Louisville is 7-15 ATS in its last 22 home games.
According to oddsmakers from Bovada.lv, Louisville is the favorite at home in this game, as the Cardinals have odds of -20.5 points against Ohio. The over/under total for this contest has been set at 58 points (View Matchup). The opening odds for this game had Louisville favored by 20.5 points as well. The spread has bounced around from 20 to 21 points before closing at its opening mark. The over/under total opened at 57.5 points and has simply added another ½ point.
Louisville has a lot of buzz coming into the season, mainly due to its stud quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The junior threw for 3,718 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2012 and is back with his top two receiving targets from a year ago. The Cardinals have questions on the offense line and at running back, but Bridgewater should be able to keep the points coming for Louisville. Defensively, the Cardinals return 10 starters from a group that allowed only 23.8 points and 340 yards per game. Leading the defense will be a pair of 100-plus tacklers from 2012 in linebacker Preston Brown and safety Calvin Pryor.
Ohio is coming off its second-straight season of at least nine wins. Frank Solich is in his ninth season as head coach of the Bobcats and this year’s team returns 12 starters from last year. The key for Ohio is getting back quarterback Tyler Tettleton. He threw for 2,844 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 244 yards. The Bobcats also have leading running back Beau Blankenship back. He rushed for 1,604 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2012. Defensively, Ohio has just five starters back from a group that allowed under 25 points per game. The defense will be led by linebacker Keith Moore, who had 98 tackles a year ago. Ohio also has three starters back in the secondary, which should help against the passing attack of Louisville.
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In terms of Injuries, Louisville defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin is questionable with an undisclosed injury while Ohio has no injuries to report.
The Public Bets for this game are currently backing Louisville, as the Cardinals are getting 58% of the wagers with odds of -20.5 points against Ohio.
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