NCAA Football Betting Preview
Pittsburgh Panthers (3-1) at Louisville Cardinals (1-2)
Friday October 2nd, 8:00PM Eastern

Betus.com betting line – Pittsburgh -6.5

College Football Friday night returns back to the east coast this week when the Louisville Cardinals host just the 2nd Big East conference game of the season. The Cardinals have fell by way of the losing side at a season mark of 1-2, but hope to square things up again when they host the Pittsburgh Panthers this Friday. Pittsburgh is off to a solid 3-1 start coming off their first loss of the year to North Carolina State 38-31 last weekend. The Panthers played the Wolf Pack very well in the meeting, but could not capture the victory. However, Pittsburgh gets the chance to right the ship if they can get their first win in the Big East on the road in Louisville.

The Panthers biggest strength this season was suppose to lie on the defensive side of the ball. Pittsburgh is very talented on the defensive front with players like Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard. The Panthers forced the 2nd most sacks in the Big East last season averaging 2.46 per game and ranked in the top 30 teams in the nation in rush defense. The Panthers are even better this season as they have dominated up front capturing a mind boggling 17 sacks in just 4 games. Pittsburgh ranks 2nd in the country in total sacks and is safe to say the defense will likely be in the Cardinals backfield again this Friday night. The question is if Louisville QB Justin Burke will be able to handle the pressure and keep from making any valuable mistakes.

Burke has had enough struggles this year being sacked 7 times and completing just 51% on the season. Burke has thrown just 3 touchdown passes while throwing 4 picks this season. The junior is averaging over 200 yards per game this season, but as stated before it will be interesting to see if the interceptions continue if the Panthers stay in the backfield. Wide receivers Scott Long and Doug Beaumont are the two biggest targets from Burke who have combined for nearly 30 catches and over 400 yards this season.

The Pittsburgh secondary has been subject to giving up plays so it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals can establish success. Cardinals running back Victor Anderson is also sure to get some touches carrying a 5.2 yards per carry ratio. However, considering how talented the front 4 are for the Panthers, Alexander may find things to be a bit tougher this Friday night. Louisville best shot to beat the Pittsburgh defense is to find some holes in the zone coverage in the secondary and get some help from the offensive line.

The Panthers offense has definitely grown accustomed to scoring touchdowns. Pittsburgh is averaging 38 points per game so far this season and even racked up 31 points in the loss to a solid North Carolina State defense. The offensive line has been very good allowing just 2 sacks on the year and more importantly has paved the way for running back Dion Lewis. Of course Lewis makes plays on his own as well sporting a 5.7 yards per carry averaged and the sensational freshman already has 493 yards on the season.

Lewis leads the Big East in total rushing yards in his first year and has been the playmaker the Panthers offense desperately needed after losing LeSean McCoy last season. QB Bill Stull is also a proven player. The senior quarterback has thrown 8 touchdown passes to just 1 interception this year. Stull gives the Panthers offense the leadership needed to win some games this year and just maybe Pittsburgh could be one of the surprise teams in the conference this year.

Betting Trends-

Pittsburgh is 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games on the road and have also reached the over total in 5 of the last 7 games on the road. Pittsburgh is also a healthy 12-4 SU in their last 16 games. The Cardinals have not been near as good against the books going 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games. Louisville is also a disappointing 1-7 SU in their last 8 games.

Pick – This is the same Panthers team that blasted Louisville last season 41-7. The Panthers appear to be even better this year as well. Take Pitt -6.5