Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 11/26/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Friday, Nov 25, 2022
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Venue: Kroger Field, Lexington, KY
Where to watch: SEC Network

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Louisville -2.5
FanDuel: Louisville -2.5
BetMGM: Louisville -3
Caesars: Louisville -3

Season record
No. 25 Louisville: 7-4
Kentucky: 6-5

The college football fun never stops and we're inching closer to conference championship season. A lot of big games are still to be determined in who will play whom and where, and our top-notch handicappers have been at the forefront for the last month or so providing you with the winners you need to head into December with some confidence in your pocket. How can you be so sure? Of course you have to look at the likes of Kyle Hunter going 19-6-0 over the last 30 days, as well as Will Rogers at 22-13-0 over the last month. What about Vegas Writer? He's sitting at 14-7-1 over the last 30 days since joining our team of champion handicappers that has been killing it everywhere this year. You see the success rate. You need to be on board to join our guys who can get you where you need to go for the homestretch of the college football season. Make sure you're keeping tabs here at bigal.com to find out what our champion handicappers are thinking in all sports!

Louisville - Kentucky preview, analysis and prediction


Last week
Louisville: won 24-10 vs. No. 24 NC State
Kentucky: lost 16-6 vs. No. 1 Georgia

What a quick turn of events this has been for the Louisville Cardinals. After a really rough start to the season, Louisville has reeled off some very impressive winds, and some very impressive efforts along the way, to now be 25th in the country. And while that might not seem a lot in the grand scheme of things considering they're not playing for a conference championship or will be playing in one of the top-tier bowl games, this is still a very solid second half for Louisville. And if the Cardinals can cap it off with a victory over the in-state rival Kentucky Wildcats, then likely they will have done something right.

I don't think anybody would have anticipated Louisville beating Clemson a couple of weeks ago, but I think the most surprising thing of that whole situation is is that they kept it close. No I'm not saying Clemson has offense that is all world and is capable of outscoring any offense at any given time, but the fact that Louisville only lost by two scores to Clemson says a lot to me. And to come back the next week albeit against a very injured North Carolina State team, and beat them soundly, this has been everything and more that Louisville could have asked for to close the year.

And I know quarterback Malik Cunningham is not the greatest passer in the world, he's not the greatest signal caller that Louisville has ever had. But it's very hard to keep a quarterback down when all he does is just run over people. Will that do good for his pro prospects? Probably not but you can learn a lot from a guy when he's averaging 5 yards a carry as a quarterback in college football, especially in this day and age, and he ends up running for 11 touchdowns as well.

Cunningham was supposed to be the one that was supposed to take that next leap, and I don't think he necessarily has, but he has put Louisville on the precipice of having a very successful season capped off with a successful bowl victory. What game that might be will remain to be seen later on, but Louisville has picked up so much momentum going into this final week that it's hard for anybody to pick against them.

Meanwhile, do you remember Once Upon a time when Kentucky actually was ranked in the top ten in the country? I can't think of a more disappointing season from any program than Kentucky. And I don't wanna say we gave Kentucky national championship aspirations, but at the very least we expected the Wildcats to contend in the SEC. A 6-5 record does not do that. Kentucky has just been such an utter disappointment this year that I initially thought Once Upon a time that Will Levis was supposed to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country, and he has been anything but that this year.

Somehow, the addition of Chris Rodriguez after he had missed the first part of the season somehow set them back. Which is weird to say because when you're running back is averaging close to 7 yards a carry that's not supposed to happen. Kentucky's defense has been great all year long. The offense, which was supposed to be one of the best in the country, is putting up just 21 points per game. And you think anyone should take them seriously right now? Louisville sure won’t.

Prediction


This should be a cakewalk for Louisville as far as I'm concerned. The fact that Kentucky is favored by three points in most books says a lot about the town gap between the SEC and the ACC, but it really shouldn't matter. Louisville by 14

Betting trends


Louisville is 7-0 ATS after a conference game this season.

Louisville is 21-8 ATS on the road when the total is between 42.5 an 49 the last 3 seasons.

Kentucky is 32-52 ATS off a home loss since 1992.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Louisville - Kentucky prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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