The Louisville Cardinals have been a consistent thorn in the side of SEC teams recently with a 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread record in their last six meetings. The Cardinals will try to score an upset this Saturday when they face the No. 6 Auburn Tigers at the Georgia Dome.
Auburn vs. Louisville odds: Take the Tigers to win big
Auburn starts what many project to be a promising campaign this Saturday. This article was provided to SB Nation by OddsShark.com.
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Louisville is a 10.5-point betting underdog for Saturday's showdown, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Cardinals are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven games as a double-digit underdog, with outright wins in their last two.
Saturday’s total for the Cardinals vs. Tigers betting matchup is set at 55.5 points. The OVER is 4-2-1 in Auburn’s last seven games and 4-1-1 in Louisville’s last six games, according to the OddsShark College Football Database.
In their first season in the ACC last year, the Cardinals passed the test with a respectable 9-4 SU and 7-6 ATS record. The Cardinals won games with an elite defense last year, but that defense lost seven starters this offseason and could take a step back in 2015.
Dual-threat quarterback Reggie Bonnafon will need to take control of this offense for the Cardinals to have success this season. Louisville ended last year on a 2-4 ATS run.
Auburn looked to be on its way to another strong season last year with a 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS start that included a 41-7 win at home over LSU. However, the wheels fell off over the second half of the season as the Tigers went just 3-5 SU and 1-7 ATS.
Things should be much better in 2015. Jeremy Johnson takes over at quarterback and has a bigger arm than Nick Marshall did. On defense, Will Muschamp should make an immediate impact as defensive coordinator. The Tigers are 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS in their last four games against ACC opponents.
A dual-threat quarterback like Bonnafon would have likely had a field day on Auburn’s awful defense last season. Muschamp’s new defensive schemes will be put to the test right away. But even if Auburn’s defense isn’t perfect, Gus Malzahn’s fast-paced offense should put up big numbers against an inexperienced Cardinals squad. Take the Tigers to win and cover the 10.5-point spread.
Louisville Cardinals vs. Auburn Tigers
When: Saturday, September 5, 3:30pm ET
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Betting Line / Total: Auburn -10.5 / 55.5 Points
