The Louisville football team is coming off its first loss of the season. They fell 31-24 to Notre Dame after some stupid mistakes cost them the game. That was their final non-conference game of the year, so now it's time for ACC games the rest of the way.
Louisville is already 1-0 in ACC games already. The Cardinals took down Georgia Tech in their third game of the year 31-19. Now, they take on a new member of the ACC, SMU. The Mustangs are coming off a dominant victory over perhaps the biggest disappointment in college football, Florida State.
Even though the Louisville Cardinals lost on Saturday, all of their goals are still obtainable. They can still win the ACC and get an automatic berth into the College Football Playoff. So what can they expect from an SMU team that comes in with a 3-1 record?
What the Louisville football team can expect from SMU
SMU's only loss was to BYU in an 18-15 loss. That's the only time so far this season that they haven't at least 42 points. They've scored 42, 59, and 66 points in different games this season. They are going to give Louisville's defense a major challenge in this game.
Offensively, the Cardinals will have an easier time. SMU gives up just under 21 points per game, but 42 of those came against TCU. Louisville's offense is better than what TCU can do, so they shouldn't have any issues in that regard. They just have to keep themselves from making some mistakes.
This is a game that Louisville should win at home. According to DraftKings, they are a seven-point favorite right now. The over/under sits at 58, so they expect a lot of points from Tyler Shough and SMU in this one too. It isn't going to be an easy game for Louisville to turn around and win, but it's the kind of game a playoff team should win.