Louisville takes on Miami in Russell Athletic Bowl
The American Athletic Conference will be represented in the Russell Athletic Bowl when the Louisville Cardinals face the Miami Hurricanes. Miami will be appearing in its first postseason bowl game since 2010.
Louisville is 11- SU and 5-7 ATS this season while 9 of their 12 games have cashed on the UNDER. Miami is 9-3 SU and 5-7 ATS, while 7 of their 12 games this season have cashed on the OVER.
Louisville behind the arm of start quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will look to end their fine season on a high note when they meet the Hurricanes in Orlando on December 28.
The ACC has dominated this bowl game with 9 wins in the past 10 games. However, the Cardinals opened as the favorite by 3 points with the point total hovering around the 56- to 57-point mark.
Louisville has had a fine season at 11-1 with their only loss against Central Florida University that kept them for playing in a BCS Bowl.
The Cardinals have one of the best quarterbacks in college football in Bridgewater. This season the Louisville star had 3,534 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. If he were to declare early for the NFL draft, most experts believe he would be the number one pick.
Bridgewater’s favorite two targets Damian Copeland and DeVante Parker should both fare well against a weak Miami defensive secondary that was ranked No. 71 against the pass this season.
Miami however will have a word or two to say about the outcome of the game. The Hurricanes rushing attack has been strong with Duke Johnson carrying the load much of the season until an injury sidelined him. However, Dallas Crawford has played well in Johnson’s absence.
Stephen Morris the Miami quarterback has played well this season. In his last game, Morris had three touchdown passes against Pittsburgh. Miami played very tough competition in the ACC, which might be the nation’s deepest conference.
Louisville however has more talent across the board on both offense and defense than Miami does. The Cardinals have not been tested as much as Miami since their conference, the AAC, is far weaker than the ACC.
The numbers however show Louisville’s dominance in this matchup. Even on defense, the Cardinals are superior to Miami. Louisville was No. 2 in the nation allowing only an average 258 yards of total offense per game to their 12 opponents.
Miami was 1-6 ATS over the last 7 games of the season. The OVER is 6-1 in the past 7 bowl games Louisville has played in.
The UNDER has finished 7-1 over the last 8 Russell Athletic Bowls. The Hurricanes are 1-4 ATS over their past five bowl games.
Miami is 8-1 ATS over their past 9 games that follow a win ATS. Miami is 4-1 ATS in its past 5 games outside the ACC. Louisville is 12-2 ATS in its past 13 games versus opponents from the ACC.
Louisville should be able to dominate both sides of the ball with their strong defense against a weakened offense for Miami and their superior aerial attack with Bridgewater at quarterback.
Pick: Smart money is backing Louisville and the OVER.
