We have a nice Governor’s Cup matchup when the 7-4 Louisville Cardinals visit the 6-5 Kentucky Wildcats. Both teams probably would have liked a little better W/L records this season, but each have at the very least become bowl eligible. Saturday’s game is kind of a pre-bowl bowl game, with Kentucky trying to extend some recent dominance against the Cardinals while Louisville tries to get their first in-state rivalry win since 2017.
Before Betting on Louisville vs Kentucky
The biggest concern for Louisville is QB health, as Malik Cunningham remains questionable Saturday with a shoulder injury. Cunningham hasn’t matched the 19 TD passes and 20 TD runs from a season ago (8 and 11 in 2022 respectively) but he’s a dual threat that at the very least being questionable has forced Kentucky to game plan for his appearance.
It was Brock Domann that started last week for Louisville, not doing a whole lot to help the 25-10 win over NC State. Domann was just 12/25 passing for 153 yards, but the Cardinals defense was dialed in as North Carolina State was down to the 3rd/4th option at QB on their depth chart. Kentucky has a defense right on par – or even better – than NC State’s as UK is a top 20 team in total yards allowed (321.2).
Kentucky was 9-3 a season ago, so their record this year is a bit disappointing especially when they thought they had an NFL caliber QB in Will Levis and one of the nation’s top RBs in Chris Rodriguez, Jr. Levis’ numbers aren’t crazy off from the 2,826 yard 24 TD/13 INT performance from last year (2,218, 17/10) but Rodriguez couldn’t match last year’s 1,400+ yards after he was suspended to start the season.
Cardinals vs Wildcats NCAAF Offshore Betting Odds
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | Louisville (2.25) | UK (1.69) | 43.5 | Louisville +3 (1.89) | UK -3 (1.92) |
| Bovada | Louisville (2.30) | UK (1.66) | 42.5 | Louisville +3 (1.9) | UK -3 (1.9) |
| BetUS | Louisville (2.25) | UK (1.69) | 42.5 | Louisville +3 (1.91) | UK -3 (1.91) |
| SportsBetting.ag | Louisville (2.25) | UK (1.69) | 43.5 | Louisville +3 (1.89) | UK -3 (1.92) |
| Pinnacle | Louisville (2.29) | UK (1.68) | 42.5 | Louisville +3 (1.90) | UK -3 (1.98) |
| MyBookie | Louisville (2.25) | UK (1.66) | 43 | Louisville +3 (1.9) | UK -3 (1.9) |
Louisville vs Kentucky Prediction & Pick
Cunningham may or may not play and Kentucky has won three straight in the series – all by at least 30 points. That’s good enough to get UK as the pick in this spot.
Pick: Kentucky -3
