Week 2 of the college football season kicks off tonight as the Lousiville Cardinals take on the UCF Golden Knights.

It was a tough Week 1 for your boy, but I went 3-1-1 on Sunday and Monday, so we are heading into this week with a lot of momentum. The matchups are not great this week, but I will declare it right now; I LOVE the board this week. It is just now hitting me that we will have football almost every day until January, and the whole world seems better. Everything is brighter, the air hits better, and my card will be full daily.

Anyway, let's get straight into the picks. If you decide to follow our picks, we ask that you do so responsibly. 

*Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Louisville:

If you just look at the final score, you would think that Lousiville got their asses kicked against Syracuse in Week 1. Well, that is correct, but a deeper look at the box score shows that the Cardinals were still able to move the ball, but they could not capitalize when they entered plus territory.

The Cardinals averaged 6.2 yards per play, and they actually crossed Syracuses's 40-yard line five times, which is the part of the field I consider to be "score or bust territory." However, they scored only once on those trips, and turnovers killed them.

I came into the season very high on Louisville for several reasons. First of all, they have recruited well as of late under Scott Satterfield, and a few pieces on this team will be playing on Sundays. Secondly, Malik Cunningham is one of the most electric quarterbacks in the country. The Cardinals were the only team in the FBS to average 200+ rushing/passing yards per game, and this is their fourth-straight year doing it.

Louisville is returning practically everyone, so there was no reason to expect regression from this unit, but their Week 1 performance against Syracuse is puzzling. The defense was expected to take a massive step after bringing back All-ACC edge-rusher Yasir Abdullah, first-team All-ACC corner Kei'Trel Clark, and Middle Tennessee transfer and first-team All-C USA recipient Quincy Riley.

I am willing to give the Birds a pass, but it was shocking to see how bad they were on both sides of the ball.

UCF:

Every season, UCF trots out a quarterback that is fun but not great. This season is no different as they welcomed in Ole Miss transfer and four-star recruit John Rhys Plumlee, who had a few starts under his belt before transferring in the offseason, but he has never really lived up to his potential.

However, he had a great first game against South Carolina State, completing 64.5% of his passes for 308 yards, four touchdowns, and 12.5 adjusted yards per attempt. I get that SC State is not THAT great of a team, but the Golden Knights have been an offensive power since they decided to be a good program, and this season looks like it will be no different.

They have two dynamic running backs in Isaiah Bowser and Johnny Richardson, and their offensive line is returning over 130 starts. Defensively, they are bringing back eight starters, but that defensive line got gutted, which does not bode well against Louisville.

The secondary should be lights out again as they are returning the entire unit, and they brought in a few transfers, including Koby Perry, who lit up the FCS at Austin Peay last season.

The Pick:

 Both offenses will be great, and both defenses are bringing back a lot of talent.

Even though Louisville got smoked last week, this spread still seems a little too high for me. The Cardinals have the best running quarterback in the country (again), and their offensive line should be solid again with four starters coming back from last season. They also brought in one of the top running back transfers in Tiyon Evans, who went for 6.8 yards per pop in Week 1.

This offense will be so dynamic, and the Cardinals could control this game with UCF losing three starters on the defensive line. The Golden Knights are 2-5 ATS over their last seven games when they are giving 6.5 points, and although I think UCF is going to be a solid team again, and they obviously impressed more in Week 1 than the Cardinals, I have to take Louisville and the points here.

I think this line is a bit of an overreaction to Week 1, and Lousiville has a real advantage with a depleted UCF front seven. I am also on the over tonight as both offenses are a threat to score anywhere from the field.

 Pick: Lousiville +6.5 (-118) & Over 61.5  

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