2024 NCAAF Cheat Sheet: Louisville Cardinals Stats & Odds

Shough Should Pace 2024 Louisville Cardinals Stats

The race for the Atlantic Coast Conference title is expected to be wide-open in 2024, with Louisville separating itself on the short list of contenders. The Cardinals are coming off a 10-4 season under head coach Jeff Brohm, in which they climbed to No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and finished 15th in the college football playoff rankings.

Building on that success will be difficult, but Louisville has what’s needed to contend.

For a closer look at the Cardinals, let’s break down some possible 2024 Louisville Cardinals stats.

Cardinals logo At A Glance

Odds to WinOpening OddsCurrent Odds
Championship+12000+12000
Conference+600+650
Regular Season Win Total8.5 (o-110, u-110)8.5 (o+115, u-135)
To Make PlayoffsYes +450Yes +450
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Cardinals Set Sights on ACC Title

Jeff Brohm returned to guide Louisville to 10 wins and an appearance in the ACC title game in his first season as head coach. The Cardinals (10-4, 7-2 ACC) wound up making the Holiday Bowl, where they lost 42-28 to USC.

What can he do for an encore?

The pieces are in place for the Cardinals to contend again in 2024. A return to the AP Top 25 should be the bare minimum as Brohm and Co. hope to unseat Florida State as the ACC’s best team.

Louisville reloaded through the transfer portal, adding quarterback Tyler Shough (Texas Tech) and wide receiver Caullin Lacy (South Alabama) to bolster an offense that averaged 30.7 points with Jack Plummer under center.

The defense is in decent shape thanks to the return of lineman Austin Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley.

The schedule isn’t overbearing, opening a path for Louisville to contend for a spot in the expanded playoff field. The Cardinals should be undefeated heading into a Sept. 28 trip to Notre Dame. It helps they don’t play Florida State.

What can bettors expect? Let’s break down the projected 2024 Louisville Cardinals stats.

Championship Odds: Good, Just Not Good Enough

Uncertainty at quarterback explains much of that skepticism. Shough is onto his third school after stops at Oregon and Texas Tech. Shough, a seven-year senior, started 13 games over three injury-plagued seasons with the Red Raiders. Overall, he’s 13-7 as a college starter.

If Shough stays healthy and performs to his capabilities, Louisville could see Florida State and Clemson run atop the ACC. However, even in a best-scenario, the Cardinals aren’t ready to compete alongside the likes of Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State for a national championship. They’re just not, and nothing that happens this season will change that.

When betting on the national title, bettors should place their attention elsewhere.

Conference Odds: On Short List of Contenders

The Cardinals are among the favorites in the revamped ACC, holding the fourth-best odds (+650) behind Florida State (+290), Clemson (+350) and Miami (+400). In all, five schools are 7/1 or better, making this one of the more intriguing races among the Power Five conferences.

Louisville visits Clemson (Nov. 2) but it misses Florida State and NC State and gets Miami at home (Oct. 19).

None of the newcomers are expected to be a factor besides possibly SMU (+1600). California and Stanford are both longshots at best.

Louisville will be in the mix from the start.

Regular Season Wins: Reasonable Goal to Hit

Louisville has exceeded this total just twice in the last eight seasons, but the arrow’s pointing up. The Cardinals climbed to No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll in 2023, their first Top-10 ranking since 2016 (No. 3) under Bobby Petrino.

The early non-conference slate is manageable outside a trip to Notre Dame, and the Cardinals don’t have to worry about playing Florida State.

The Cardinals will need to show they can win in some tough environments, as four of their final five regular-season games are on the road. They conclude on Nov. 30 at rival Kentucky.

To Make Playoffs: You’re Saying There’s a Chance?

Can Louisville win the ACC? That’s what this boils down to.

If not, the Cardinals likely won’t have a good enough resume to make it as an at-large team, especially against schools from stronger conferences like the Big Ten and SEC.

For this reason, the Cardinals could do themselves a big favor by beating Notre Dame. Keep that in mind when assessing the potential 2024 Louisville Cardinals stats.

Shough Longshot Heisman Play

Shough is unlikely to win the Heisman. The odds (+12000) say as much.

That said, he could flourish under Brohm, one of the ACC’s most aggressive play-callers. Louisville boasted the ACC’s third-best scoring offense last season per college football scores, averaging over 30 points per game.

If Shough stays healthy, he’ll put up big numbers. And there’s nothing more that Heisman voters love than big numbers.

For NCAAF picks today, betting analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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