Well, Louisville football is officially eliminated from the ACC Championship game, and now they will look to play spoiler. With just two games remaining, the Cards will try to secure a nine-win season for the third straight year and end this season on a high note.
The Cardinals went from being ranked No. 15 in the College Football Playoffs and having a clear path to the playoffs to losing two straight games, in which they were favored in both, and are now unranked and eliminated from the ACC Title and the CFP.
The Cards now face an SMU this week, who is still in the running for the ACC Championship game as they sit 7-3 on the season, like the Cardinals, but 5-1 in the ACC. Louisville will play at Gerald J. Ford Stadium this time, as they lost at L&N Stadium last year by a score of 34-27. The Cardinals have never beaten the Mustangs, as they are 0-3 against SMU all-time, and will look to make history Saturday by taking down the Mustangs and their CFP dreams.
Let's break down the odds and then make a prediction for this Week 13 ACC showdown.
Louisville vs SMU odds
The Cards and the Mustangs are kicking off Saturday, Nov. 22, from Dallas, Texas, in a crucial ACC showdown. SMU opens as 3.5-point favorites with the over-under set at 53.5 points. ESPN Analytics is giving SMU a 67.7 percent chance of winning this game, while the Cardinals are given a 32.3 percent chance of winning.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel, and as of 11am ET on Monday, Nov. 17.
Spread: SMU -3.5
Moneyline: Louisville +134 Clemson +162
Over/Under: 53.5
Prediction
The Mustangs have everything in front of them at the moment. They sit 5-1 in the ACC and are right there in the mix for the ACC Championship game. They have Louisville this weekend and then are at Cal next, giving them a path to finish 7-1. However, before Mustangs fans start dreaming of the ACC Championship game, they have to get by this Cardinals team.
Louisville is coming off another ugly loss as they fell to Clemson after shooting themselves in the foot multiple times. The Cards will try to rely on their rushing attack for this game, as Keyjuan Brown is emerging as a true superstar. The Mustangs fell to Wake Forest but bounced back by upsetting Miami, and then went on to dominate Boston College. They were on a bye week last week and are now fresh and getting healthier, which doesn't favor the Cards, as they have played every week since Week 8.
We predict this game to be similar to last year's, where SMU gets off to a hot start and the Cardinals need a big third quarter to turn things around. Louisville has struggled with slow starts this season, and traveling to SMU on the road will be a tough challenge. The Cards will make it a game and bring it within one score, but SMU's offense will put the game out of reach. The Cards drop their third straight game and turn to the Governor's Cup.
Prediction: SMU 31 Louisville 23