Louisville Cardinals vs NC State Wolfpack Odds & College Football Betting Prediction, 10–5–2017
Free College Football Pick by Greg Michaels of Oddsboard.com
Louisville Cardinals vs NC State Wolfpack
Thursday, October 5th, 8:00 pm EST
Odds: NC State +3.5, 66
Louisville Cardinals
Thursday Night Football from Raleigh, NC as the Louisville Cardinals travels to take on the NC State Wolfpack in an ACC matchup.
Since they joined the ACC a few seasons ago, the Louisville Cardinals are 3–0 straight up and 2–1 against the spread in three meetings with the North Carolina State Wolf Pack, including a blowout victory/cover last season. The Cardinals are a different team from 2016 but they are still lead by reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson.
Since suffering that loss to Clemson three weeks ago, Louisville is 2–0, with a pair of easy victories but they failed to cover the large chalk in these victories.
Louisville’s defense has limited opponents to 4.93 yards per play and is tied for fourth in the ACC with 12 sacks. However, Louisville has faced Murray State and Kent State after losing to Clemson which may have inflated these stats.
Cardinals Betting Trends
- Cardinals are 21–7 ATS in their last 28 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
- Cardinals are 1–4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win
- Cardinals are 1–8 ATS in their last 9 games overall
NC State Wolfpack
The NC State Wolfpack are off to a strong (4–1) start which includes a win over Florida State. The Wolfpack have become the darlings of the ACC and now they get a chance to prove they are for real in 2017.
Since opening its season with a tough loss to South Carolina, the Wolfpack are 4–0, including a 33–25 decision over Syracuse last week. North Carolina State has now outgained four of its five opponents this season and outrushed all of them by a per-game margin of 169–86.
A key area that NC State looks to exploit is the suspect offensive line of Louisville. NC State has a formidable defensive line that will work to get after Lamar Jackson. Louisville has already allowed 11 sacks on the season.
Lamar Jackson may receive most of the offensive attention in this game but let’s not forget that the Wolfpack average 34.8 PPG. Quarterback Ryan Finley is quietly off to a strong start this year, as he’s completing 71.9 percent of his passes for 1,403 yards and has passed for nine scores through five games.
Wolfpack Betting Trends
- Wolfpack are 4–1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games
- Wolfpack are 2–5 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
- Wolfpack are 0–5 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Louisville vs NC State Prediction
The Wolfpack offense will focus on short passes and establish the run game. NC State’s gameplan will be about the time of possession which could wear down the Louisville defense in the second half. Can the Wolfpack force Lamar Jackson to make mistakes and turn the ball over? The NC State offense has only turned the ball over twice which has allowed them to maintain drives. Lamar Jackson already has 3 interceptions.
It’s hard to overlook this NC State team getting points at home. It’s a great spot for the Wolfpack to be in after their 54–13 loss to Louisville last season. The home crowd will show up for this nationally televised game with two ranked teams. I am going to take NC State and the +3.5 points in what should be a very close game.
Free College Football Pick: NC State +3.5
