I did the ratings for each team in the Rutgers - Louisville contest. Most of you would probably assume the Cardinals are the higher rated team. You would be right. I will approach this final decision in the old fashioned way: I will answer some key questions and come to a conclusion.
Will Rutgers run the ball on Louisville? The Knights may have some success vs. the Cardinals run D, but, a key stat for me is the rushing yardage Rutgers had vs. Arkansas. They only gained 54 yards rushing in that game. Rutgers will have only limited success running the ball
Will Rutgers pass the ball on Louisville? Again, vs. the toughest defensive team on the schedule(Arkansas), Rutgers threw for only 51%. They will have some success passing vs. Louisville, but, not enough to keep up.
Will Louisville run the ball on Rutgers? They will run enough on Rutgers to make the passing attack more effective. Rutgers had some big losses on defense from 2012. They haven't faced any team that could take advantage of those deficiencies, on the ground. Louisville will take advantage of those deficiencies.
Will Louisville pass the ball on Rutgers? Scarlet Knights gave up 450+ yards passing to Fresno St. and SMU. Louisville WILL pass the ball on the young Knight secondary.
Incentive Advantage: As mentioned earlier, this is one of Louisville's only challenging games this year. Charlie Strong will have his team ready to play. Rutgers just came off a sapping 3 OT win over SMU. Give the intangible advantage to Louisville
THE PICK VS. THE SPREAD: As my credibilty spreads, I totally expect this line to jump up as soon as I release it: TAKE THE LOUISVILLE CARDINALS. Get it in early. That line should go up
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