Week 1 of the 2021 college football season wraps up on Monday night when the Ole Miss Rebels and Louisville Cardinals square off in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The Rebels finished the 2020 season on a strong note, winning four of their last five games, which included an upset victory over Indiana in the Outback Bowl. Louisville, meanwhile, finished the 2020 season with a disappointing 4-7 record, losing all five of its games away from Cardinal Stadium. Ole Miss will be without head coach Lane Kiffin, who tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.
Kickoff from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in Atlanta is at 8 p.m. ET. The Rebels are nine-point favorites in the latest Ole Miss vs. Louisville odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 74.5. Before finalizing any Louisville vs. Ole Miss picks, check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of more than $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 1 of the 2021 season on a 57-37 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Louisville vs. Ole Miss. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college football odds and trends for Ole Miss vs. Louisville:
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss spread: Ole Miss -9
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss over-under: 74.5 points
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss money line: Louisville +285, Ole Miss -360
- LOU: The total has gone over in 12 of their last 16 games
- MISS: The Rebels are 13-4 in the last 17 games when playing as the favorite
Why Louisville can cover
Last season Louisville averaged 439.9 total yards of offense, while the defense allowed 381.2 yards on defense. That sounds like a recipe for a good season, but the Cardinals committed too many turnovers. Louisville committed 24 turnovers on offense, but the defense only came away with 12.
The turnover margin was -12, ranking fourth-worst in the FBS. Redshirt junior quarterback Malik Cunningham was responsible for 15 turnovers, including 12 interceptions to go with three fumbles. Protecting the ball will be a key factor for Cunningham and the Cardinals on Monday night. If they do so, they will give themselves a chance to keep this one within the spread or even pull off the outright upset.
Why Ole Miss can cover
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral had a breakout campaign in 2020, throwing for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns across just nine regular season games. He also had a strong performance in Ole Miss' bowl victory over the Hoosiers, completing 68 percent of his passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. He also proved to be a threat with his feet, rushing for 506 yards and four additional scores against SEC foes last season.
Now, he'll lead an Ole Miss offense that averaged 555.5 yards per game last season, which ranked third in the nation. Corral will look to dial up big plays for his offense as they take on a Louisville defense that gave up an average of 369.1 yards per game in 2020. In addition, Ole Miss is 13-4 in its last 17 games when playing as the favorite, while the Cardinals are just 1-6 in their last seven contests as the underdog.
How to make Ole Miss vs. Louisville picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 69 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Louisville vs. Ole Miss? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
