Murray State vs Louisville Odds, Picks, Prediction

Murray State vs Louisville Odds

After having a full slate of weeknight games in Week 1, the schedule makers definitely decided to cut back for Week 2. In Thursday’s only college football game, the Louisville Cardinals will play host to an in-state foe in the Murray State Racers.

While it may not be the most exciting of matchups, that doesn’t mean there’s not a money-making opportunity.

Continue reading to for my full analysis and best bet for Murray State vs. Louisville in this NCAAF betting preview for Thursday, Sept. 7.

Murray State started its season a high note with a 41-10 win over Presbyterian last week. After finishing last year at 2-9, this win was a welcome site.

However, it should be noted that Presbyterian was possibly the worst team at the FCS level in 2022, ranking dead last (130th) in FCS SP+. It ranked 130th on both offense and defense, so we can’t really take much away from the Racers’ victory.

The best news for Murray State is the return of quarterback DJ Williams. After being injured in the opener last year and missing the entire season, he made his return for Murray State last weekend and threw for 104 yards on 8-of-16 passing while playing in just the first half.

The Murray State rushing attack racked up 44 carries for 231 yards as it outgained Presbyterian, 484-196.

The Racers ranked 100th in FCS SP+ last season, finishing 123rd on offense and 38th on defense. While they should rebound offensively with the return of Williams, their defense will certainly take a step back after losing six of their top eight defensive backs from a season ago.

Murray is not expected to be an overly impressive FCS team. Our Collin Wilson has the Racers power-rated at No. 108 in FCS, while SP+ has them at 81st, coming in at 83rd on offense and 62nd on defense. Phil Steele, meanwhile, projects Murray State to finish 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference.

This isn’t an opponent I would worry about upsetting Louisville in the slightest.

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Last week, we caught the first glimpse of what the Cardinals may look like in the Jeff Brohm era. They got off to a rough start but rallied to defeat Georgia Tech, 39-34.

The Cardinals didn’t cover the spread as 7.5-point favorites, but their second-half comeback was impressive.

Louisville started slow on offense, mustering only 13 points to Georgia Tech’s 28 in the first half. However, it proved to be much stronger in the second half both through the air and on the ground.

For the game, Louisville averaged an EPA/Play of 0.29 and a Success Rate of 49.2%. These figures rank 22nd and 30th in the…