Western Kentucky at Louisville odds, picks and best bets
The season opens for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Louisville Cardinals Saturday at the Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky., for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff. We analyze the Western Kentucky-Louisville college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Western Kentucky at Louisville: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 3:50 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline : Louisville -417 | Western Kentucky +325
- Against the spread/ATS : Louisville -11.5 (-110) | Western Kentucky +11.5 (-110)
- Over/Under : 58.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Western Kentucky at Louisville: Three things to know
- Precautions and protocols are in place at Cardinal Stadium for the Cardinals to allow 12,000 fans.
- The Hilltoppers posted nine victories last season, including wins at the Arkansas Razorbacks (45-19) and at the First Responder Bowl vs. the Western Michigan Broncos (23-20). WKU's defense is nasty, and 16 of 22 offensive and defensive starters return.
- The Cardinals have to replace OT Mekhi Becton, who was picked No. 11 overall by the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL Draft. Even with first-round NFL talent, the Louisville line was terrible. That's bad news against a good defense like Western Kentucky.
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Western Kentucky at Louisville: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
Louisville 29, Western Kentucky 24
Moneyline (ML)
Louisville (-417) will cost you more than four times your potential return, and that's scary. The Cardinals have offensive line woes that must be corrected, and the Hilltoppers defense could really make the home team look bad. It wouldn't be shocking to see WKU (+325) pull off an upset. AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
WESTERN KENTUCKY +11.5 ( -110) is expected to contend for a division title in Conference USA, mainly because of its stingy defense. The Hilltoppers have several NFL Draft prospects looking to improve their stock this season. A win over an ACC club would certainly help. They might get not win outright, but they should give their in-state rivals a good scare.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 58.5 ( -110) is easily the way to go. Western Kentucky allowed just 20.1 points per game in 2019, 21st in the nation, while struggling with 25.6 PPG on offense, good for 90th in the country. Louisville's defense wasn't very good in 2019, allowing 33.8 PPG, ranking 111th in the country, but Western's offense likely won't be able to take advantage.
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