Louisville Cardinals - NCAA Football Odds, Lines & Betting

Louisville entered the 2006 season with very high hopes, and almost met all expectations. Only a botched second half in New Jersey kept the Cardinals from playing in the national championship game. Louisville went 12-1 last year, won the Big East, and beat Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. Of course, the only blemish on that record was that heart-breaking loss at Rutgers, a game which Louisville led 25-7 at halftime.

The Cardinals survived losing RB Michael Bush in the season opener and QB Brian Brohm for two games in midseason to score at least 30 points eight times and hit the 40-point plateau six times. They outgained opponents by an average of more that 150 YPG. In the end, head coach Bobby Petrino bolted for the NFL, and was replaced by Steve Kragthorpe, who led Tulsa to a 29-22 mark and three bowl appearances in four years. This year, the 'Ville returns 12 starters, including seven from the second-ranked offense in Division 1. Senior Brohm, with over 6,700 career passing yards and 41 TDs, is a legitimate Heisman contender. And the WR combo of Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia is one of the best in the country; they combined for 128 grabs and over 2,200 receiving yards last year. The questions for the Cardinals this year surround the defense, which lost DT Amobi Okoye and three of four backfield starters. Louisville will, however, probably start three seniors at linebacker. And they return kicker Art Carmody, who won the Groza Award last year. 

The 'Ville lost Bush to the NFL, but running back-by-committee worked pretty well last year. The schedule is a bit tougher this time around, with road games at Kentucky, North Carolina State, Cincinnati, West Virginia and South Florida. But Louisville might simply outscore everyone on their slate, and will likely play on or after Jan. 1 again.

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