Friday Night ESPN2 College Football Rutgers @ Louisville Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Week 8 NCAA Football Spreads and Odds

Week 8 Free College Football Picks and Spreads: Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Louisville Cardinals 2011 NCAA Football Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions on ESPN2 10/21/11: It wasn’t all that long ago that both Louisville and Rutgers were contenders for the Big East crown on a regular basis. While recent years have been rough for both programs, the Scarlet Knights (5-1) are working their way back into relevancy. The same can’t be said for the Cardinals (2-4), but a win at home against Rutgers on national television Friday night could serve as a springboard to better things down the road. On paper, this meeting has the makings of a defensive battle, and Louisville enters the game as a one-point favorite.

Both teams boast a top-20 ranked defense in terms of points allowed. The Cardinals are 16th in the country, allowing 17.7 points per game. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights are even better, giving up just 16.0 points per game, which puts them 11th in the country. The performance of both units is even more impressive considering that both teams have struggled on offense. Both defenses spend a lot of time on the field, and neither unit has worn down.

Defensively, Louisville’s Greg Scruggs could be an X-factor, which says a lot for a guy that was in the high school band before switching to football his senior season. Now a senior at the collegiate level, the defensive lineman can play end, tackle and even linebacker, and he can put pressure on opposing quarterbacks in a variety of ways. In a game that is likely to be a low-scoring affair, a crucial turnover or defensive score could be the difference. Scruggs is the type of player that can both make a big play or help his teammates make one.  

The defenses for both sides should have some chances to cash in. Neither offense can run the ball with any type of consistency, and Rutgers and Louisville both rank among the 20 worst teams in the country in terms of rushing yards per game. When the Scarlet Knights and Cardinals meet Friday, there won’t be a feature back on the field that is averaging more than 3.5 yards per carry this season. With little chance of being hurt on the ground, expect the coaching staff from both sides to turn their aggressive defenses lose on the opposing quarterback.

Ultimately, the team that gets better play from its QB should have the edge. Rutgers has the superior passing game on paper, averaging more yards through the air. More importantly, the Scarlet Knights are averaging just over 30 points per game, which is nearly double what the Cardinals are averaging. That being said, Rutgers is in the middle of quarterback controversy at the moment. Chas Dodd and Gary Nova have both played well at times, but neither has established themselves as the team leader. At this point, the two may split time for the rest of the year.

Of course, the Cardinals are doing the same with Terry Bridgewater and Will Stein. Stein was the starter until being knocked out for several weeks with an injury. Bridgewater has been turnover prone, but the freshman has played well enough to earn a time share under center. With the season already slipping away, the coaching staff may just want to build for the future by giving Bridgewater equal playing time despite Stein having the superior numbers.

Rutgers on the other hand is only focused on the present. With a shot at the conference title, the Scarlet Knights will like ride the hot hand, and whoever is under center will try to stretch the field. There won’t be a lot of big play opportunities, but with an offense that has been much more efficient at scoring points and a defense that can certainly rival Louisville’s, Rutgers should be able to pull out a hard fought victory Friday.

Prediction: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+1) Cover the Spread

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