The Florida State Seminoles will travel for a matchup against the Louisville Cardinals this week. The former is a perfect 2-0 with wins over Duquesne and LSU, while the latter lost to Syracuse but bounced back with a win over UCF.
These are two similarly matched teams. They’re expected to finish near each other in the ACC at the end of the season. Both are coming off of impressive wins as underdogs, although there are questions about both teams.
In this article, I’ll break down the odds for this game and you’ll find my favorite Florida State vs. Louisville predictions.
Florida State vs. Louisville Predictions
For my Florida State vs. Louisville predictions, I’ll be placing these wagers at DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Florida State vs. Louisville Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | -2.5 (-115) | -140 | O 56 (-110) |
| @ Louisville | +2.5 (-105) | +120 | U 56 (-110) |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3 p.m. ET on Sep. 13.
Game Info
- Date: Friday, Sep. 16
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium – Louisville, KY
- TV: ESPN
Florida State vs. Louisville Trends
Let’s take a look at some relevant betting trends for Florida State vs. Louisville:
- Florida State owns a 1-1 ATS record this season.
- Louisville’s also recorded a 1-1 ATS record in 2022.
- Louisville lost as a favorite but won as an underdog.
- As of Tuesday afternoon, 89% of the bets and 92% of the handle were on Florida State -2.5 spread.
- DraftKings also reports that 62% of the bets and 69% of the handle is on over 56 points.
- Florida State’s gone under in both of their games this season.
- Louisville’s also gone under in both of their games in 2022.
More than Malik Cunningham?
Louisville was projecting as a high-end offense prior to the season. That hasn’t been the case through two games, as they’ve scored only 27 total points.
One of the key projects is that the entire offense revolves around Malik Cunningham. When he isn’t finding success, the offense is sputtering. We saw this against Syracuse. He threw for 152 yards with 2 interceptions on 22 pass attempts. He also added only 34 yards on 13 carries in that game. Louisville totaled 7 points.
Cunningham performed better against UCF last week. He totaled 121 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He only completed 14 of 29 passes for 195 yards, though. One of the biggest keys is that he didn’t turn the ball over in that game.
Malik Cunningham on the feet
Poetry in motion pic.twitter.com/WCS4FsdHa3
— Mikey O’ver (@MikeyOver1) September 10, 2022
There are two major issues with the entire offense revolving around Cunningham. First, he’s been extremely inconsistent early this season. He’s struggled as a passer, and his legs haven’t been consistently on display. Louisville is going to continue to struggle to score points if they can’t get more consistent play out of their star quarterback.
Second, defenses can sell out to stop him. Until someone else proves that they can handle the workload, defenses can do everything in their power to slow down Cunningham, and in turn, the entire offense. For example, Tiyon Evans averaged 6.8 yards per carry on the ground, but Louisville only scored seven points against Syracuse.
Rested FSU Squad
Florida State last played on Sunday, Sept. 4. The Seminoles have two games under their belt, but they’ll take the field for the first time in nearly two weeks when facing Louisville on Friday.
This gives Florida State more than a week to prepare for Louisville. That could come in handy when facing a dual-threat quarterback like Cunningham.
Jordan Travis tosses a PEARL to Pokie Wilson
Their 2nd TD connection of the night🎯pic.twitter.com/C6PIPkZqq5
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 5, 2022
On the other hand, Florida State recorded an impressive victory against LSU on Labor Day weekend. Has that momentum worn off over the bye week, or will the Seminoles be focused and energetic in this matchup?
Meanwhile, Louisville had a tough game at UCF last Friday, and they’ll turn around for this home date with the Seminoles. This is the home opener for Louisville, so you better believe the fan base will be ready to go in this nationally televised matchup against a historic football school.
Florida State vs. Louisville Predictions
This is a situation where entering the season, I’d have given the edge to Louisville’s offense over this Florida State defense. The problem is the Cardinals haven’t flashed offensively enough for me to feel their offense is in a position to thrive.
I favor Florida State’s offense and defense in this game. The Seminoles are the more rested team as well. That often plays a major factor in college football, and it could be the difference in this game.
With that being said, I’m expecting Florida State to sell out to stop Cunningham, and we could see Louisville struggle to put points on the board once again. Although I’m not necessarily in love with Florida State’s offense, I think they’ll do enough to cover less than a field goal.
Pick: Florida State -2.5 | -115 at DraftKings Sportsbook