Louisville vs UCF prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 2, Friday, September 9
Louisville vs UCF How To Watch
Date: Friday, September 9
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Bounce House, Orlando, FL
How To Watch: ESPN2
Record: Louisville (0-1), UCF (1-0)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Bowl Projections
CFN Week 2 Expert Picks | Week 2 Schedule
NFL Expert Predictions | NFL Predictions
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
Louisville vs UCF Game Preview
Why Louisville Will Win
There’s desperation, and there’s a Louisville team that needs a win over a good team in a big, big hurry after the clunker of a 31-7 loss to Syracuse to start the season.
The offense kept turning it over, the defense wasn’t close, and it was a brutal debut considering all the tough ACC games ahead.
The Cardinals are far better than they appeared.
There’s still QB Malik Cunningham, there’s still all the firepower to keep up any sort of pace, and there’s still the Week 1 factor. The overreaction has kicked in hard after the loss.
This looked and played like a team that could’ve used a warm-up act against a creampuff. There’s a good chance we’re about to see the real Louisville – and a well-motivated one – on Friday night. However …
Why UCF Will Win
The Bounce House on a Friday night isn’t the place to be if you’re looking to ease your way past a bad performance on a short week.
It might not seem like much to beat South Carolina State 56-10, but that’s the program that dropkicked Deion’s Jackson State team in the Celebration Bowl last season. It’s well coached, it has solid players, and it didn’t do a thing against the Knights with just 91 yards of total offense.
Louisville will be a far tougher challenge, but the UCF defensive front should remain hot, the combination of QB John Rhys Plumlee and RB Isaiah Bowser should be able to do exactly what the Syracuse backfield came up with, and …
– Week 2 Schedule, Predictions, Game Preview
What’s Going To Happen
This should be fun.
Cunningham wasn’t awful against Syracuse, but he couldn’t get the offense going. He’ll be back to his dynamic self this week, but it won’t matter.
This is a statement game for UCF as much as it is a big moment for the ACC team. Win this, and all the Good Vibes Only from the end of last year and the bowl victory over Florida continue.
The Knights will run as much and as well as they want to.
Louisville vs UCF Prediction, Line
UCF 34, Louisville 27
Line: UCF -6.5, o/u: 61.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Louisville vs UCF Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
– Predictions of Every Game
– Bowl Projections | Rankings
– Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams
