Against the Spread | Week 8 -- Cards, Cats, Toppers all underdogs | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Coaches will argue that every week is a Show Me Week in college football. Usually, they are making it up. This week, they aren’t.

For Louisville, this is a week for the Cardinals to prove they can win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

For Kentucky, this is a week for the Wildcats to prove somebody can play a competent 60 minutes at quarterback.

For Indiana, this is a week for the Hoosiers to prove they stopped celebrating the victory over Penn State.

For Western Kentucky, this is week for the Hilltoppers to prove they can stop BYU from reaching their scoring average of 45 points per game.

For the WDRB Sports staff, this is a week for half of us to continue proving we can pick more winners than losers against the spread.

Show Me, indeed.

1. Virginia Tech at Louisville (+ 3 1/2); Saturday, 4 p.m., Cardinal Stadium.

Louisville has been one of the head-scratching team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. A check of the preseason media vote for the league shows that the Cardinals were forecast to finish fourth but are currently tied for 11th at 1-4 in league play. Virginia Tech has been better but only mildly so. Picked fifth, the Hokies are tied for sixth with Boston College, surprisingly overtaken by Miami and North Carolina State. Tech has not been good on the road, losing their last two to North Carolina and Wake Forest. The Hokies have also been defensively challenged, allowing nearly 30 points per game as well as nearly 250 yards passing. Opponents have completed 61% of their passes against Tech. This is an opportunity for quarterback Malik Cunningham to return to his form of 2019.

Florida State at Louisville — Oct 24, 2020; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham (3) hands the ball off to running back Javian Hawkins (10) during the first half at Cardinal Stadium. Jamie Rhodes-ACC Pool
Jamie Rhodes

John Lewis: U of L 24, Virginia Tech 21.

Tom Lane: U of L 35, Virginia Tech 24

Eric Crawford: U of L 31, Virginia Tech 28

Aaron Matas: U of L 31, Virginia Tech 30

Rick Bozich: Virginia Tech 31, Louisville 24

Ruby: Louisville

2. Georgia at Kentucky (+14 1/2); Saturday, Noon; Kroger Field, Lexington.

A week ago, Kentucky looked like a team that might have a puncher’s chance against the Bulldogs because of back-to-back dominating defensive efforts against Mississippi State and Tennessee. Then Missouri happened, and the Wildcats’ passing and running attacks suggest Kentucky is left with two winnable games on the schedule: Vanderbilt and South Carolina. The likely move to Joey Gatewood move to quarterback reads like the cliched mid-season switch guaranteed to calm perturbed fans. Gatewood has earned minimal time in 11 games over two-plus seasons and never completed more than two passes in a game. Of course, he also never thrown an interception in 13 attempts. The Wildcats have scored a combined 30 points in their last three games against Georgia, which ranks second in the SEC in total defense.

Kentucky football QB Terry Wilson — Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson struggled Saturday against Missouri.

John Lewis: Georgia 33, UK 10

Tom Lane: Georgia 30, UK 17

Eric Crawford: Georgia 35, UK 10

Aaron Matas: Georgia 30, UK 17

Rick Bozich: Georgia 35, UK 7

Ruby: Kentucky

3. Indiana at Rutgers (+13); Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey.

It’s a classic trap game for the Hoosiers, who have been bathed in national media attention since their overtime victory over Penn State last Saturday. Rutgers delivered an equally impressive shocker last weekend, taking seven turnovers from Michigan State while earning a 38-28 victory. Louisville fans saw what Greg Schiano achieved during his first run in New Jersey, when he parlayed building a Top-25 program into a head coaching job in the NFL. Schiano has tried to accelerate the improvement by adding 10 transfers to this team. Indiana will need improved play from its offense. The Hoosiers were able to defeat Penn State even though quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed only 52.8% of his throws, and IU averaged 1.58 yards per rushing attempt, last in the Big Ten.

Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) throws during the first half of an NCCAA college football game against Penn State, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

John Lewis: IU 35, Rutgers 14

Tom Lane: IU 31, Rutgers 21

Eric Crawford: IU 35, Rutgers 28

Aaron Matas: IU 38, Rutgers 28

Rick Bozich: IU 24, Rutgers 17

Ruby: Rutgers

4. Western Kentucky at BYU (-28 1/2); Saturday, 10:15 p.m.; LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah.

This is a game inspired by a spirited on-line battle that tried to determine which school had the most lovable mascot: WKU and Big Red or BYU and Cosmo. BYU won that poll by a meager 2.2%. This game does not figure to be nearly as close. The Cougars have five of their six games by at least 17 points, scoring at least 43 points in each of those games. But it’s reasonable to wonder how good the Cougars are, because their best win came on the road at Houston. They have not played a Power 5 opponent but worked their way to No. 11 in the AP poll.

WKU V LIBERTY - 9-19-2020 - COURTESY WKU ATHLETICS.jpg — Western Kentucky's home game against Liberty University on Sept. 19, 2020. Image courtesy WKU Athletics website.

John Lewis: BYU 40, WKU 7

Tom Lane: BYU 48, WKU 13

Eric Crawford: BYU 41, WKU 10

Aaron Matas: BYU 59, WKU 20

Rick Bozich: BYU 52, WKU 7

Ruby: BYU

5. Ohio State at Penn State (+13); Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania.

How sour was Nittany Lion nation after head coach James Franklin gift-wrapped a victory to Indiana by failing to run out the clock in the final 1:47? One story in a Pennsylvania newspaper suggested that a season that started with national playoff aspirations was already ruined. ESPN’s College GameDay obviously believed this would be the Game of the Week, because they announced they were bound for State College before IU hung the upset around Franklin and his players. If Penn State could not stop Indiana and Penix during the final two drives that mattered, it is reasonable to wonder what the Nittany Lions will do against the Buckeyes after OSU quarterback Justin Fields completed 20 of 21 passes against Nebraska for more than 13 yards per attempt. Ohio State also averaged 4.6 yards per carry against the Cornhuskers.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, center, runs for a first down against Penn State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

John Lewis: Ohio State 35, Penn State 18

Tom Lane: Ohio State 42, Penn State 24

Eric Crawford: Ohio State 35, Penn State 24

Aaron Matas: Ohio State 45, Penn State 35

Rick Bozich: Ohio State 38, Penn State 21

Ruby: Penn State

6. LSU at Auburn (+3); Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; Jordan-Hare Stadium; Auburn, Alabama.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is perched where you can usually find him in late October: in the front row of the Coaching Hot Seat List. Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde noted that although the Tigers are 3-2, they could be the luckiest 3-2 in the nation because they benefited from officiating mistakes in their wins against UK, Arkansas and Ole Miss. With a demanding schedule that finishes with Top-10 opponents Alabama and Texas A&M, Malzahn needs to beat a .500 LSU team to stop the howling. After losing to Mississippi State and Missouri, LSU delivered its best offensive performance of the season last week while scoring 52 against South Carolina. Freshman TJ Finley stepped in at quarterback and completed 17 of 21 passes for two touchdowns, and the Tigers also averaged 5.1 yards per rush.

LSU quarterback Myles Brennan heads off the field as members of the Missouri Tigers celebrate an LSU turnover on downs in the final seconds of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri upset LSU 45-41. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

John Lewis: Auburn 21, LSU 20

Tom Lane: LSU 34, Auburn 28

Eric Crawford: LSU 28, Auburn 27

Aaron Matas: Auburn 42, LSU 38

Rick Bozich: Auburn 34, LSU 31

Ruby: Auburn

7. North Carolina at Virginia (+6 1/2); Saturday, 8 p.m.; Scott Stadium; Charlottesville, Virginia.

North Carolina believes it can supplant Notre Dame as the second-best team in the ACC. To do that, the Tar Heels must defeat the slumbering Cavaliers, who have lost four in a row, including games to N.C. State and Wake Forest. Carolina has the ACC’s most prolific offense, averaging 531 yards per game, which will likely be a problem for a Virginia team allowing 419 yards per game.