The Florida State Seminoles are the favorite of people betting on college football when they take on the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, September 17th at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Kentucky. The Cardinals have been climbing the ranks of the AP Poll, but so have the Seminoles, and in the upper echelons of it at that. The online football betting odds for the game are:
Florida State -2 (-110) 65 (-110) -130
Louisville +2 (-110) 65 (-110) +110
The Seminoles are 2-0 for the sixth season in a row, including a routing of the Charleston Southern Buccaneers 52-8 on September 10th. Florida State may not have had all of its starters – left guard Kareem Are, right guard Wilson Bell, and fullback Freddie Stevenson were all out with various injuries –, but what it did – and does – have is a deep bench, which head coach Jimbo ‘Jones’ Fisher poured out in the second half. Seminoles starting QB Deondre Francois completed 25 of 32 attempted passes for 262 yards with three TDs. He also threw the first interception of his career, but at least he chose the best time to get that one out of his system, when his team was already steam-rolling the Buccaneers in the second quarter. Florida State is currently second in the AP Poll.
The Cardinals also made it 2-0 when they beat the Syracuse Orange into a pulp, 62-28 on September 9th. Louisville’s sophomore QB Lamar Jackson threw for 411 yards with one TD, and rushed for 199 yards on 21 carries for 4 touchdowns. Jackson finished with the most yards by a player in an ACC game ever. “I’m not sure anybody could catch him,” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said, and his defense agreed as they mostly lay back and failed to pressure Jackson. The Cardinals moved from the 13th to the 10th spot in the AP Poll.
Fans betting on college could be forgiven for thinking that the Cardinals are the real deal – and they very well could be, as long as Jackson remains healthy – but their first true test will come when they host the Seminoles. For all that Jackson has achieved as a dual threat, Louisville would do well to establish Brandon Radcliff as a running alternative to the QB. Defensively, the Cardinals would be wise to compromise and force field goals, which cause less damage than TDs. Meanwhile, the Seminoles need to start quick and never look back, and disrupt those Cardinal snaps that can gain up to 70 yards. All things considered, fans betting on college football can look at it this way; Florida State doesn’t have to lose to Louisville; it’s the Cardinals that have to beat the Seminoles. All signs point to Florida State claiming the victory, though, and with it, contendership to a playoffs spot. But even a loss would prove an invaluable learning experience for the start-up Cardinals, who would have plenty of time to pick themselves up and dust themselves off. As Jackson said following the win over Syracuse, “I did good, I guess, but I still have room for improvement.”
