Louisville vs. Ole Miss Prediction
Week 1 of the college football season concludes on Labor Day when Louisville takes on Ole Miss at 8:00 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Will the Rebels cover as a 9.5-point favorite or is there a better play on the board?
Game Snapshot
225 Louisville Cardinals (+9.5) at 226 Ole Miss Rebels (-9.5); o/u 75.5
8:00 p.m. ET, Monday, September 6, 2021
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
TV: ESPN
Louisville Cardinals Game Notes
Louisville HC Scott Satterfield said freshman S Josh Minkins is back working out with the team. Minkins missed between 4-5 months of team activity after suffering an undisclosed injury in January. He’s returned to workouts, but Satterfield is unsure if Minkins will be ready to roll in Week 1. “Will he be in good enough shape to play the first game? I don’t know. That’s a question mark,” Satterfield said. “Will it be three games or conference play? I just don’t know where he’ll be physically. We want to be able to count on him as we head forward because he played a little bit last year.” The 6-foot-2, 179-pounder is a projected backup to a pair of transfers at safety, Kenderick Duncan Jr., and Qwynnterrio Cole. Minkins will battle fellow freshmen Brayln Oliver and Ben Perry for time once he returns to practices.
Ole Miss Rebels Game Notes
Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin will miss Monday’s game against Louisville after testing positive for COVID-19. “I am grateful to be vaccinated and experiencing only mild symptoms. So much so, I debated over being tested, but I’m relieved that I did,” Kiffin said. “I’m proud of our program’s commitment to vaccination, and as a result, there are currently no other cases to report or team members expected to miss the game.” Kiffin said recently that his team is 100-percent vaccinated. Because of that, players who were in close contact with Kiffin will not be forced to miss games via contact-tracing quarantine.
Louisville vs. Ole Miss Betting Prediction
The total has gone over in 12 of Louisville’s last 16 games and given the way Ole Miss played defense last year, points should NOT be at a premium tonight. The Rebels allowed 519.0 yards per game last season, which was the second highest mark in the nation. When the Rebels played Power 5 opponents, that number jumped to 561 yards per game. Of course, under QB Matt Corral, the Rebels also averaged 384.9 passing yards per game while often playing in shootouts. With Ole Miss allowing 38 points per game last season, tonight’s matchup should be a shootout as well.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 PREDICTION: LOUISVILLE/OLE MISS OVER 75.5