The first week of the 2021 college football season ends on Monday night when the Ole Miss Rebels and Louisville Cardinals take part in the 2021 Chick-fil-A kickoff game. The Rebels ended the 2020 season on a strong note, winning four of their last five games, including an upset win over Indiana at the Outback Bowl. Meanwhile, Louisville finished the 2020 season with a disappointing 4-7 record, losing all five of their games to Cardinal Stadium. Ole Miss will be without head coach Len Kiffin, who tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.
Kickoff from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Atlanta is at 8 p.m. ET. The Rebels are the nine-point favorites in Caesar Sportsbook's latest Ole Miss vs Louisville odds, while the over-unders for total points scored are 74.5. Before finalizing any Louisville vs Ole Miss selections, check out college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine projection model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an astonishing profit of more than $3,600 for $100 players on their top-rated college football selections against the spread. It also entered Week 1 of the 2021 season on a 57–37 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set her sights on Louisville vs. Ole Miss. Now you can check your preferences by visiting Sportsline. Here are the college football prospects and trends for Ole Miss vs. Louisville:
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss spread: Ole Miss -9
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss over-under: 74.5 points
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss money line: Louisville +285, Ole Miss -360
- LOU: The total has gone over in 12 of their last 16 games
- MISS: The Rebels are 13-4 in the last 17 games when playing as the favorite
Why Louisville Might Cover
Last season, Louisville averaged 439.9 yards on offense, while the defense allowed 381.2 yards on defense. It sounds like a recipe for a good season, but the Cardinals made a lot of turnovers. Louisville made 24 turnovers on offense, but the defense came up with only 12.
The turnover margin was -12, ranking fourth in the FBS. Redshirt junior quarterback Malik Cunningham was responsible for 15 turnovers, including 12 interceptions to go with three fumbles. Guarding the ball will be a key factor for Cunningham and the Cardinals on Monday night. If they do, they will give themselves a chance to keep it within the spread or even remove it from being disturbed altogether.
Why might Ole Miss cover
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Coral had a breakout campaign in 2020, throwing 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns in just nine regular season games. He also had a strong performance in Ole Miss's win over Hoosiers, completing 68 percent of his passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. He also proved to be a threat with his feet, scoring 506 yards last season and four extra scores against SEC foes.
Now, he will lead the Ole Miss offense, which averaged 555.5 yards per game last season, ranking third in the nation. The Corals will look to dial up big plays for their offense as they take on a Louisville defense that averaged 369.1 yards per game in 2020. Also, Ole Miss is 13-4 in their last 17 games while playing as the favourite. , while the Cardinals are trailing just 1-6 in their last seven matches.
How to Choose Ole Miss vs. Louisville
SportsLine's model is leaning overall, with teams projecting to combine for 69 points. The model also says that one side of the diffusion hits in about 60 percent of the simulations. You can only get the pickup on SportsLine.