Louisville Cardinals vs. Boston College Eagles: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/1/2022

Time: Noon ET

Venue: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA

Where to watch: ACC Network

DraftKings: Louisville -15.5

FanDuel: Louisville -15.5

BetMGM: Louisville -16.5

Caesars: Louisville -15.5

Louisville: 2-2 (0-2 ACC)

Boston College: 1-3 (0-2 ACC)

Louisville: won 41-3 vs. South Florida

Boston College: lost 44-14 at Florida State

I’m not one to ever believe in the Louisville Cardinals, but this weekend’s matchup against the Boston College Eagles might be the best way to start. Louisville comes into the weekend at 2-2 fresh off a 41-3 win over the South Florida Bulls that was likely caused by the anger from falling short against Florida State. Nevertheless, the Cardinals have two losses and both have come in conference play, the other being to Syracuse to open the season. Malik Cunningham totaled four touchdowns – one through the air and three on the ground – as the Cardinals led all the way through and didn’t allow any point until the fourth quarter. Cunningham had 299 total yards with 113 on the ground on just nine carries.

"It's a credit to my offensive line," he said. "They were blocking up and down the line. The whole week we prepared for them to take me. When they didn't I just ran it.

I’ve made my points known before with Louisville. I can’t trust them as long as Cunningham is the quarterback. Yes, he is a lethal dual-threat option that can hurt teams at the drop of a hat and showed that against a lowly USF program that has fallen off hard fast. But it’s the consistency that’s the issue. He was horrible in the game against Syracuse, and then followed that with not making enough plays to get a win over Florida State. I feel like we get teased by Louisville every year and when it comes up short, we tend to know where to look. Cunningham needs to play better down the stretch if the Cardinals are going to have a chance at competing for a conference title. And already at an 0-2 start, that doesn’t seem likely.

Meanwhile, Boston College isn’t any better at the moment. The Eagles are also 0-2 in ACC play to start the year with losses to Virginia Tech and Florida State. The lone win for BC this year is a 38-17 victory over Maine. If you can guess, Maine is an FCS school. Boston College just hasn’t been the same since the Matt Ryan days, and this 44-14 loss to Florida State last week was another feather in that cap. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec was 15 of 23 for 105 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. If that was for any other program, they would be held to the fire and chastised for the rest of time. Boston College had just 235 total yards of offense and turned it over twice via those interceptions. Meanwhile, the defense saw Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis explode for 321 yards and a touchdown through the air. FSU’s running game totaled four touchdowns on the ground with a combined 180 yards. If Louisville runs the ball, mainly Cunningham, they’re going to have a field day.

This should be an easy road win for Louisville with Boston College on the edge of falling flat on its collective face. I think this game is over by halftime and the Cardinals roll to a many-score victory. Louisville by 28

Louisville is 7-5 ATS as a favorite in its last 12.

Louisville is 13-14 ATS in its last 27 games overall.

Louisville is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 road games.

Boston College is 6-9 ATS in its last 15 as an underdog.

Boston College is 31-31 in its last 62 ATS as a home underdog.

Passing: Malik Cunningham - 782 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

Rushing: Malik Cunningham -- 395 yards, 6 TD

Receiving: Tyler Hudson -- 262 yards

Passing: Phil Jurkovec -- 843 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT

Rushing: Pat Garwo III -- 159 yards, 2 TD

Receiving: Zay Flowers -- 330 yards, 3 TD