Louisville’s national title hopes may be toast, but their AAC chances are still alive -- barely. The Cardinals received some hope when UCF nearly lost to Temple last week, and will hope to keep pace with the Knights with a defeat of a Memphis team that has struggled this season.
How to watch Memphis vs. Louisville 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Here’s all the information you need to catch the game between the Tigers and Cardinals.
The Cardinals’ only lost came at the hands of UCF, but they’re a perfect 3-0 since then, with wins over South Florida, Connecticut and Houston. Their foe this week is Memphis, who are riding a two-game winning streak after a 1-6 start under head coach Justin Fuente. The Tigers picked up their first conference win in the AAC last week, when they defeated South Florida 23-10.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Louisville is 9-1 (5-1) and sits tied for second in the AAC. The Cardinals are ranked 15th in the Coaches’ Poll and 21st in the AP Poll. Unranked Memphis checks in at 3-6 (1-4), which places it eighth in the league. Louisville holds a 23-16 edge in the all-time series.
Vegas: Louisville is a 24.5-point favorite, with an over/under of 43 points.
Weather: The high is expected to reach the upper 40s in Louisville, and there’s a slight change of rain.
Three names to know
Teddy Bridgewater -- The Heisman buzz may be gone, but Bridgewater is still a player worth checking out most weeks. He crossed the 3,000-yard passing mark last week, and he has 24 passing touchdowns against just three interceptions. He is coming off his least-prolific performance of the year, though; Memphis will have to find a way to limit him in similar fashion.
Paxton Lynch -- The Tigers need a supreme effort from Lynch, who managed to throw for a mere 59 yards against South Florida a week ago. He is completing passes at a decent rate (59.6 percent) but has thrown only six touchdowns all season.
Dominique Brown -- Brown came up big in Louisville’s come-from-behind win over Houston, rushing for a season-best 137 yards on 27 carries. The Cardinals’ leading rusher has now gone over 100 yards on the ground in two of his last three games.
Two things at stake
Time is running out on Louisville’s AAC title hopes -- the Cardinals lost control of their destiny when they fell to UCF in October, and they still need a lot of help despite winning every game since. They definitely cannot afford to drop a second conference game if they want to get back into the mix.
Memphis is on the brink of another losing season -- one more loss and their bowl chances go up in smoke. If the Tigers can somehow pull off the huge road upset in Louisville, they would actually have a decent shot of getting to 6-6. They finish with a home game against Temple and a road trip to UConn.
How to witness
TV: Noon ET, ESPN Regional
Online streaming: ESPN3.
Further reading
For additional coverage, head over to Louisville blog Card Chronicle.
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