A new ACC rivalry begins on Monday when two teams in the top 30 of the Don Best/Linemakers Power Ratings square off, as the 24th-rated Louisville Cardinals host the No. 27th Miami Hurricanes (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Cardinals enter 2014 having closed last season with a six-game winning streak, capped by a 36-9 rout of the Hurricanes in the Russell Athletic Bowl last Dec. 28.
Line: Louisville -3.5, Total: 53.5
Line movement and notes: The Cardinals opened at -2.5 and have since been bet up to -3.5, while the total has stayed steady from its opening number. This is an interesting move considering Louisville recently found out that senior wide receiver DeVante Parker will miss six to eight weeks with a broken foot that required surgery. For updated spreads and totals from around Las Vegas, visit our live odds page.
Cards go back to the future: Louisville got a blast from its past when former head coach Bobby Petrino decided to return to the school where he won 41 games in four seasons from 2003-06. The Cards also covered the spread in 30 of the 50 games under him. Petrino’s coaching history since then has been turbulent. He left the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons after just 13 games in 2007 for Arkansas, then got into an infamous motorcycle accident while coaching the Razorbacks that uncovered an affair with an assistant he hired. Needless to say, he is happy to be back where he enjoyed a lot of success early on.
But Petrino has a massive challenge ahead of him starting on Monday without departed star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who stormed the Hurricanes with a career-high 447 passing yards and three touchdowns in the bowl game before getting drafted by the Minnesota Vikings. Petrino led the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to an 8-4 record last year in his first job since getting fired at Arkansas, including a 4-3 mark in the Sun Belt that was good for a tie for third place. The Hilltoppers were also 5-7 against the spread, failing to cover five of their last six.
The injury to Parker though could be huge as well, considering the Cardinals have a new QB in redshirt sophomore Will Gardner. The 6-foot-5, 226-pound Gardner has already battled back from two torn ACLs to earn the starting job and will now be without a dangerous weapon in Parker, a projected first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft who totaled 55 catches for a team-high 885 yards and scored 12 touchdowns as one of Bridgewater’s tops targets last season.
“He's a tremendous player,” Petrino said. “We're fortunate with the situation we're in that we have a lot of experienced players (to fill in).
“They're all going to have to contribute. You're never going to replace a guy like DeVante with just one guy.”
More betting info: Miami-Louisville matchup analysis
‘Canes underrated according to White and Avello: The Linemakers on Sporting News’ very own Kenny White believes Miami is one of the most underrated college football teams in the country heading into this year, and Johnny Avello agrees with him. The Wynn's Executive Director of Race & Sports Operations said the action at his shop, though, is going the other way.
“I’ll tell you what then, if he feels that way about it, he should bet Miami wins 8 OVER +145 – 8 is nothing, right?” Avello asked earlier this week when told of White’s thoughts. “After opening a pick, they’re betting Miami UNDER 8 wins -165. They disagree with him, (but) I agree with him.”
White said he has already bet Miami OVER 8 wins, and he thinks this team has more potential than Louisville, possibly winning 10 or 11 games this season.
Neither team is currently ranked in the AP or USA Today Top 25 polls.
The Linemakers' lean: Both teams will be looking to get their new QBs settled, and public money will likely push this total higher. So we'll see where the number goes ahead of kickoff and make a play on the UNDER. Also, a small play on Miami should this spread grow beyond +4.
Information from USA Today was used in this report.
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