Projected season win totals for Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, WKU

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Sports gambling will soon be up and go, go, going in Kentucky. But not yet.

One of the biggest disappointments of the belated roll-out is local fans will not be able to wager (legally) on the projected win totals for college football teams, which is annually a fun exercise for serious fans.

The deliberate rollout will not diminish our fun — not with Louisville (Friday), Kentucky, Indiana and Western Kentucky (all Saturday) — rolling into the 2023 season this weekend.

I have collected season win total predictions from two college football power rating analytics sites: ESPN Football Power Index and Jeff Sagarin's predictor numbers.

Tom Lane, Eric Crawford and I made our season predictions.

And I'm sharing the season over/under win total from DraftKings.com.

On Thursday, Eric and I will depart for Atlanta for the Cards' Friday night season opener against Georgia Tech in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We'll have coverage on WDRB and at WDRB.com

Play ball!

Louisville

ESPN FPI: 7-5

Sagarin Predictor: 8-4

Vegas Over/Under: 8

Tom Lane: 8-4
- Cards go 8-4 in year one under Jeff Brohm. No Clemson or FSU on the schedule helps, as does just three true road games.

The Cardinals will be improved but may find more pitfalls than expected under first-year coach Jeff Brohm. If things go right, they'll win eight. If they go even better, maybe one more.

Rick Bozich: 8-4
- Lots to like here. Playmakers on offense. Veteran quarterback who knows Brohm's system. Experienced offensive line. Favorable schedule. Renewed fan energy which should help fill L&N Cardinal Stadium again. The thing stopping me from forecasting more than 8 wins is the Cards' defense. Louisville thrived by pressuring opposing passers last season, and the Cards are replacing most of that athletic defensive front.

Kentucky

ESPN FPI: 7-5

Sagarin Predictor: 6-6

Vegas Over/Under: 7

Tom Lane: 8-4
- Cats get off to a hot start with four of their first five at home and also go 8-4 overall. Offense gets a boost from the return of Liam Coen to work with quarterback Devin Leary.

The Wildcats will need some good luck to navigate the second half of their SEC schedule. I have them losing to Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, and splitting South Carolina and Mississippi State.

Rick Bozich: 7-5
- The Wildcats should roar to a 4-0 start before welcoming Florida to Kroger Field. The swing games on the schedule appear to be the ones with Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Louisville, and the last three in that group are on the road. (I'm assuming UK does not lose to Vanderbilt again.) Reports from camp have been glowing on Leary, who threw 35 touchdowns passes with only five picks in 2021 at North Carolina State. His ability to avoid turnovers is why many believe he'll be more productive than Will Levis. But the Wildcats' offensive line must prove it can return to the standard of 2021.

Indiana

ESPN FPI: 4-8

Sagarin Predictor: 2-10

Vegas Over/Under: 3.5

Tom Lane: 4-8
- Hoosiers have a serious quarterback question and maybe match last year's win total to go 4-8.
Eric Crawford: 4-8
- What does it say that I'm projecting four wins for the Hoosiers but am not sure who wins No. 3 and 4 will be against? 
Rick Bozich: 3-9
- Opening the season as a 30-point home underdog against Ohio State without a proven quarterback is a snapshot of the issues surrounding the Hoosiers. Tom Allen's best recruit better be his offensive line coach Bob Bolstad, who arrives from Wisconsin asked to upgrade IU's front five to at least functional. Running back should be the strength on offense if the line play improves. The defense is packed with players from the transfer portal, aside from linebacker Aaron Casey, the team's best player. A road to six wins will require sure victories over Indiana State and Akron as well as four more against this group (Louisville, Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue). Big ask.

Western Kentucky

ESPN FPI: 8-4

Sagarin Predictor: 10-2

Vegas Over/Under: 8.5

Tom Lane: 8-4
- Toppers return quarterback Austin Reed and again put up big numbers to go 8-4.
Eric Crawford: 10-2.
- The Hilltoppers have tough ones at Ohio State and Troy but they'll be favored in the rest. And I'll take them in the rest.
Rick Bozich: 10-2.
- I agree with Eric. WKU is the consensus pick to win rebuilt Conference USA, which lost six teams but added four. Two of the four newcomers are Jacksonville State and Sam Houston, which have transitioned from FCS status. WKU has the league's best quarterback (Austin Reed, 40 TD passes last season), best receiver Malachi Corley and best linebacker JaQues Evans. That should translate into another big season for Tyson Helton's program.

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Projected season win totals for Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, WKU