NC State vs Louisville Odds, Picks, Props, & Bonuses For Kentucky Sports Betting
The Louisville Cardinals (4-0) hit the road for their first true road game of the season against the NC State Wolfpack (3-1). Louisville football odds show the Cardinals as a road favorite over NC State. The best price across the best college football betting sites on the Wolfpack to win is . This Week 5 game kicks off Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET, with ESPN broadcasting this ACC clash. The Over/Under for UofL at NC State currently sits at points.
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College Football Odds: Louisville at NC State
We’ve looked across all the odds in your state to display the best available Louisville football odds, as well as NC State. Click odds anywhere in the table to bet on the game.
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Louisville At NC State POWER RATINGS & STATS
NC State | Stat | Louisville |
---|---|---|
3.6 | Power | 11.7 |
1.7 | KFord | 10.7 |
1.76 (86th) | PPD | 3.87 (7th) |
2.09 (64th) | PPD/A | 2.23 (72nd) |
4.6 (103rd) | YPP | 7.7 (5th) |
5.8 (85th) | YPP/A | 6.3 (103rd) |
2-0 | Away/Home Record | 2-0 |
Table key: Power (TheLines aggregate power rating), KFord (KFord Rating), PPD (points per drive scored), PPD/A (points per drive allowed), YPP (yards per play), YPP/A (yards per play allowed)
NC State Wolfpack: Anae’s Offense Must Improve To Win
Bringing in Virginia transfer and former 4,000-yard passer Brennan Armstrong was supposed to be an exciting addition to a disappointing NC State offense. New coordinator Robert Anae also brought promise with him, if not only change. However, through four games, the Wolfpack offense has been a letdown. The receiving corps has 10 combined drops and Armstrong has an additional five turnover-worthy throws. He’s completing a paltry 59.6% of his passes at just 6.3 yards per attempt.
Wolfpack’s Offensive Line Struggling In the Running Game
Up front, the offensive line hasn’t generated a push against the likes of Virginia and UConn. As a team, fewer than 30% of their team rushing yards have come before contact (1.23 yards before contact per carry). The Wolfpack suffered from the inability to run the ball on early downs and have faced the 15th-most third-downs per game this season (16).
NC State’s Defense Must Stop the Cardinals On The Ground
NC State’s defense showed up against teams they should have – UConn, VMI, Virginia – but crumbled against Notre Dame’s explosive run game. Even removing an 80-yard touchdown by Audric Estime, the Wolfpack allowed 6.5 yards per carry to the feature back. As a team, NC State’s stop unit missed 32 tackles so far. Linebacker Payton Wilson remains the top player, but he lacks top-end talent around him.
Louisville Cardinals Offense Offers Biggest Advantage
The new-built Louisville Cardinals already picked up two ACC victories in the young season. Ahead of the season, this team was expected to be strong defensively while the offense took some time to take root with a new system and new quarterback. Through four weeks, it’s proven that the offense is already firing on all cylinders and instead, the defense has taken a hit over their expected output.
RB Jordan, WR Thrash Bring Explosive Elements To Cardinals’ Offense
The Cardinals have the second-most 30+ yard plays and the 10th-most 20+ yard plays. Back Jawhar Jordan is second in the nation in yards after contact per rush (4.9) and adds eight 15+ yard rushes (fourth-most). Georgia State transfer Jamari Thrash adds explosiveness through the air with 400 yards (17th) and five touchdowns (t-6th). Against this NC State defense, expect a healthy dose of Jordan on the ground.
Cardinals’ Defense Leaning On Offensive Production To Win Games
Defensively, Louisville surprised many preseason projections, and not in a positive way. According to KFord Ratings, the Cardinals have fallen 27 spots defensively from their preseason rank. Their 6.1 yards per play allowed ranks 101st nationally. Only Georgia Tech on their schedule ranks inside the top 85 in power rating. The secondary lacks top-end talent, ranking 92nd in PFF’s coverage grade and the defense as a whole is average in tackling.
Louisville Football Odds: Matchups to watch
Both of Louisville’s top offensive weapons have big advantages in this game. For Jordan, it’s an opportunity to bolster his explosive runs number against the poor tackling of NC State. For Thrash, it’s a matchup against potentially the worst pair of corners in the ACC. Both Aydan White and Shyheim Battle grade out as bottom-10 corners in the conference through four weeks. The saving grace for the Wolfpack is their pass rush – one that has logged a 9% sack rate (28th). But getting home to Jack Plummer won’t be easy against an offensive line that’s allowed one single sack this year.
On offense, NC State has been painfully inefficient. After the departure of Tim Beck, many believed Anae would improve the Wolfpack offense. However, now four games into 2023, it’s evident the issues in the system go beyond Beck. Louisville has shown the propensity to allow points in bunches, particularly last week against Boston College and in their season opener against Georgia Tech.
Louisville hosts Notre Dame next week. It’s unlikely Brohm & Co. overlook conference foe NC State, though, as the two teams split their last six meetings.
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KFord Ratings assessment
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“It’s worth noting Louisville welcomes Notre Dame to town next week, but the Cardinals can’t afford to overlook the Wolfpack. NC State has been about what I projected on offense – currently No. 68 compared to No. 65 in the preseason. However, the DEF has been much worse than I projected, falling from No. 18 to No. 45. As a result, the Wolfpack are down 4 points in the power ratings and are currently ranked No. 56 overall.
Bottom line, I have Louisville -6.5, with a 32% chance NC State gets to 2-0 in conference play.”
Kelley Ford, TheLines College Football Podcast