Louisville football dominated Eastern Kentucky in the first half Saturday, leading the Cardinals to a 51-17 victory. Jeff Brohm and Louisville have to clean up a few things, as his squad committed 13 penalties, but no one expects this team to be perfect in Week 1. However, with a sneaky good team like James Madison coming to L&N Stadium this Friday, Louisville must play cleaner football.
Louisville will host James Madison under the lights Friday, September 5, at 7 p.m. local time. The Cardinals will attempt to go 2-0 for the third consecutive season and aim to maintain their undefeated record against the Dukes. Let's take a deep dive into what Vegas believes will happen in this Week 2 matchup from L & N Stadium so that all Louisville fans can make their own predictions for the second game of the season.
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Louisville vs. James Madison Current Odds
As of Monday, September 1, at 6 a.m. EST, Louisville opens up as a double-digit favorite for its second straight week as the Cardinals are 16.5-point favorites over the James Madison Dukes, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over-under for this Week 2 showdown is 56.5, and ESPN's Football Power Index is confident in the Cardinals going 2-0, as Louisville has a 77.9 percent chance of winning this game.
Louisville vs. James Madison Prediction
The Cardinals are going to have a tougher time dominating this game, as James Madison isn't a team Louisville can walk over. The Dukes will enter L&N Stadium 1-0 after they beat Weber State 45-10. The Cardinals' defense showed a lot of promise in their dominant win in Week 1, and their offense showed that they can live up to the expectations of being one of the most explosive teams in the nation.
JMU is going to have a hard time slowing this offense down on Friday, as their secondary may not have the experience and skill to contain Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy. And then the Cardinals' offensive line should be able to dominate the trenches once more and free up Isaac Brown for another 100 yards or more on the ground.
The Cardinals' offense will be the star of this game, with Brown and Moss taking over and leading Louisville to another dominant win, covering the 14.5 points. The Cardinals are 1-0 all-time vs the Dukes after a 34-10 victory in 2022. Louisville will improve to 2-0 on the year and head into Week 3 feeling confident.
Prediction: Louisville wins 38-17
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