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SMU vs. Louisville (Saturday – 3:30pm ET)
I was impressed with what I saw from Louisville in the season opener, despite the loss. The Cardinals went toe-to-toe with Ole Miss on a neutral in Nashville, falling just short by a final of 41-38. They followed it up by dropping 59 points last Friday night against Villanova.
Lincoln Kienholz threw for over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Rebels, along with 69 rushing yards and another score. He repeated the 300-plus passing yards and two touchdowns against Villanova, plus 42 rushing yards and two more touchdowns. Kienholz looks the part of a dangerous dual threat QB through his first two starts.
The Cardinals struggled to establish their rushing attack with the running backs against Ole Miss, which was the backbone of the offense in 2025. However, it should come to life at home against SMU. The Mustangs should have dominated Florida State in their season opener, but allowed FSU to stay in the game and escaped with a game-winning field goal.
The only reason FSU’s offense showed any life was its ability to run the ball. The starting running back finished with 22 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Louisville’s backs should be able to take advantage and balance out the offense on Saturday. Kienholz should also continue to thrive on the ground, as FSU QB Ashton Daniels put up 71 yards and a score on the ground.
I expect Louisville to get their’s offensively in this game. SMU is a dangerous offense as well. Kevin Jennings topped 400 passing yards against FSU, and was extremely efficient last week against UC Davis. However, the ground game may struggle on the road against the Cardinal’s defense. Jennings has been mistake prone, and tossed two interceptions at FSU. The Mustangs were very mistake-prone in their only true road test, with silly turnovers and penalties. They won’t be able to overcome the mistakes they got by with at FSU in a game at Louisville.
Louisville played on Friday night and has one extra day prep for this huge game in the ACC. With a stronger defense, more balanced offense and home field advantage, I’m backing the Cardinals to prevail.
CFB Pick: Louisville ML (-115)
