The Louisville Cardinals (0-0) will visit the #6 Auburn Tigers (0-0) on Saturday, September 5, 2015 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will televise at 3:30 pm ET on CBS. The current odds list Auburn as a 10.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 55.5.
Louisville has not announced who they will be starting at quarterback in the season opener. Head coach Bobby Petrino knows who will start but doesn’t see the advantage in announcing it. They have a lot of new faces on offense and they will most likely rely on their defense to keep them in games. Louisville lost seven starters this year but Petrino feels confident they will be as strong as they were in 2014 where they were in the top 10 in rushing defense. The Cardinals are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games in September.
Auburn will look to start off the season better then how they finished as they lost four of their last five games to finish the season. Jeremy Johnson will get the start at quarterback after playing in the backup role last year. Roc Thomas will be the starting running back after limited action last year. This offense will be mostly new and will probably not be able to average the 35 points per game they did last year. The defense will remain uncertain but it will really come down to what this new offense can do. The Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games on field turf.
My Pick: Louisville +10.5
I think Louisville’s defense will keep them in this game. I can see Auburn struggling out of the gate on offense and Louisville should be able to stay within double-digits in this one. Johnson is just now seeing a starting role and the running back is in the same shoes. I do not see fireworks exploding in week 1 in this game. I’ll take the Cardinals for the cover.