Louisville vs. SMU odds: Early point spread released, How to Watch
On Saturday, will square off at noon ET. After a week on the road, the Cardinals will return home to host the Mustangs in the L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Despite suffering a 31-24 loss to Notre Dame this past weekend, Louisville is a 6.5-point favorite against SMU, according to FanDuel . The sportsbook also has the game's over/under set at 56.5 points.
History isn't on Louisville's side. The two programs have only met twice before, with SMU emerging victorious in both meetings. Most recently, the Mustangs defeated the Cardinals 41-7 in 1984. Now, Louisville will look to start a new trend as it welcomes SMU to the ACC.
How to watch Louisville vs. SMUTime: Saturday | Noon ET Channel: ESPN, (streaming) Location: Louisville, Ky. — L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
On Saturday, Louisville fell 31-24 to No. 16 Notre Dame. Mistakes were the story of the day for the Cardinals. Louisville outgained Notre Dame by 154 yards but committed its first three turnovers of the season.
Further, the Cardinals committed six penalties, knocking themselves back 50 total yards. Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm knows his team can't afford to make the same mistakes moving forward.
"The message was simple. We got beat. We didn't play good enough. We didn't play clean enough," Brohm said after the loss. "There were some critical mistakes we made in situations. I liked their effort.
"We played to the end. We had some chances, but against good teams you can't be that sloppy at times. We were sloppy. So I got to make sure we figure out a way to figure out that sloppiness, be sharper, be more efficient."
SMU enjoyed a much more rewarding weekend, taking down Florida State in dominant 42-16 fashion. In the win, SMU QB Kevin Jennings completed 16-of-his-23 pass attempts for 254 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Not to be outdone, SMU's backfield racked up 226 rushing yards in the win. Brashard Smith led the way in the ground game, boasting a team-high 129 yards and a touchdown.
The win was more than a simple strike in the win column for SMU. It was the program's first conference game as a member of the ACC. SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee is excited to see where his team's momentum will take them.
"That's how you build confidence," Lashlee said after the win. "We've accomplished confidence the last few weeks and together, as a group, they're playing that way, with confidence and belief. So we definitely don't want to throw cold water on that. We want to, we want to build on that and help that continue to grow."
