Louisville Football: Game-by-Game Predictions for the Cards in 2018
By Jacob Lane
We have broken this game down ad nauseam, as most people tend to do this time of year. What is particularly odd about this game to me though is the hype behind Bama going into this season.
Look, I get that Alabama is going to do Alabama things. They lose some guys, Nick Saban “Sh*ts out” a new one, as he so eloquently put it last week, and the Tide Roll to a national title. The fact of the matter is that Alabama won the title last season, but lost a lot of pieces. Will they be good this year? Yes. Will they compete for a national title? Likely. But that is a long way away. There are some key pieces on the Bama roster that are going to have to step up in game one.
Louisville will come out and perform better than people will give them credit for, and that’s all kudos to Bobby Petrino and his ability to prepare for a team. Alabama, who- just like Louisville- will be starting a new QB (most likely) and replacing numerous starters from last year’s championship team, could get off to a slow start and struggle to score, leaving the opportunity for Louisville to attack.
In areas where the Tide are weak, Louisville is strong – think wide receiver vs. defensive back match-up specifically. We all know what Dez Fitzpatrick said a few weeks back at the Cards media day, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone in Louisville who doesn’t agree
But when you take this game off paper and put it on the field, I still the Cards having a matchup advantage, and an area to attack. Who says Louisville can’t score quick, force a turnover or a short drive and maybe get a lead? Who knows? Things happen. But just like Bobby Petrino, Nick Saban is a master puppeteer and tends to play 13 steps ahead of his opponent.
Though the Tide don’t have much game film on Puma Pass or the Louisville defense, Saban’s ability to make a lot out of little should help the defending champions do what they have to do.
So, with that being said, do I think Louisville wins? Probably not. But they aren’t going to roll over and just let the Tide massacre them. I think the Cards jump out to an early lead, but it just dwindles. In the end, Alabama will probably be too much to handle, but let’s not act like they don’t have their own problems to figure out.
Jacob’s Prediction: Louisville 28, Alabama 42
Presley’s Prediction: Louisville 31 , Alabama 37
Louisville’s Record: 0-1