Last season there was a lot of talk that Louisville was the dark horse to win the ACC. The rationale was easy to understand, Florida State had lost Jameis Winston to the draft and Clemson had questions as well with Deshaun Watson returning from a torn ACL. However, things quickly fell apart after the Cardinals lost three games in a row to start the season and after they fell to Florida State and Clemson, all hopes of a conference title went out the window. The optimism is much more guarded this year following the results of 2015.
Louisville Cardinals Season Win Total Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cardinals Over 9 -115
Cardinals Under 9 -115
2015 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS SEASON REVIEW
The Cardinals had some issues offensively early on that set the tone for the rest of the season. Reggie Bonnafon started the season, but wasn’t very effective and after some games with Kyle Bolin as the starter, Lamar Jackson took over. Jackson had an alright season as a passer, but made his name as a runner, where he rushed for 960 yards and 11 touchdowns and was extremely difficult to shut down.
The running game wasn’t fantastic outside of Jackson, but was serviceable enough. Brandon Radcliff was the leading rusher of the non-quarterbacks with 634 yards and seven touchdowns and Jeremy Smith added another 270 yards and three touchdowns.
Although the numbers were worse than 2014, the defense had a pretty solid season. For the second straight season, Louisville had to replace seven starters on the defensive side of the ball, and that led to some regression. The Cardinals still got big performances from some of their defensive standouts though and that helped them keep ACC opponents to just 3.1 yards per carry.
WHAT CHANGED
There will be a new person calling the plays in Louisville after OC Garrick McGee left to take the same position at Illinois after Lovie Smith was hired as the head coach there in March. McGee had been with Bobby Petrino for four years at Arkansas and two years at Louisville and it was a big step to leave. In his place, Petrino appointed co-offensive coordinators in Lonnie Galloway and Chris Klenakis. It’s a bit unclear how this dynamic will work.
It will be tough for Louisville to replace Sheldon Rankins. Rankins was a first round draft choice by New Orleans after a stellar season which saw him win Second Team All-ACC honors as well as six sacks and seven tackles for loss.
2016 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS SEASON PREVIEW
There is a lot being made out of Lamar Jackson’s potential and although he was promising as a freshman, he still needs to learn how to throw the football. He has the fortune of being under the tutelage of Bobby Petrino, but even in his best game of the season, the bowl win against Texas AM, Jackson completed less than 50 percent of his passes. He isn’t a bad quarterback by any stretch, but those hyping him up to be something special will be disappointed.
Jackson will also have another advantage since his three starting wide-outs as well as his tight end are all upperclassmen and returning starters as well. Jamari Staples led the team in receiving yards last season and should only be better after another season of learning the system.
Transfers have played a big part on Petrino’s teams in the past, and his defense is relying on the continued development of a group of transfers. Devonte Fields came into the program after a falling out with TCU and has already established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the conference. Meanwhile, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Shaq Wiggins are the two best members of the secondary and are both former Georgia Bulldogs.
The only tough non-conference game for Louisville should be at Houston last in the season, but nine wins is a lot to ask. The ACC is a good conference and the Cardinals aren’t that much better than their peers. Throw in two virtually guaranteed losses to Clemson and FSU and it’s hard to take Louisville over its win total.
College Football Odds: Louisville Cardinals Under 9 Wins -115
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