It's been a disappointing season for Louisville who entered 2007 with BCS hopes, and the disappointment will continue this afternoon when the Pitt Panthers come to Papa John Stadium.
Louisville is a mess right now, plain and simple. The Cardinals were a legitimate national title contender coming into the season. Now, following another disastrous defeat, they are 4-4, looking at an uphill battle just to earn bowl eligibility. And frankly, a trip to the Motor City Bowl or International Bowl or Texas Bowl or Champs Sports Bowl just doesn’t hold the same motivational edge as a trip to a BCS bowl might for a team with championship aspirations.
[articleBanner]who2beton[/articleBanner]Louisville’s defense woes have not been solved, and their offense has come back to earth. They’ve been home favorites three times already this year, losing two of those games outright and nearly getting upset by Middle Tennessee State in the third.
In fact, Louisville has lost those three games as home favorites by a combined margin of 89 points, nearly 30 points per game worse than the betting marketplace expected. And the once mighty Cardinals offense has been held to a very modest 27 points per game over the last four weeks.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh turned their season around with a single upset victory, knocking off Cincinnati last Saturday. Running back Larod Stephens-Howling, one of two hundred-yard rushers for the Panthers said, "We knew we had a lot on our shoulders to get this dubya. So we can get out of the hole, one, and then also make a statement that we haven't given up on our season. That let's people know we're still coming out every week to play."
LeSean McCoy, the other running back to gain over 100 yards on the ground for Pitt last Saturday added, "It's big to have two runners over 100 yards. LaRod motivates me all the time. I know how good he is. When he gets the ball, he knows what to do."
Facing a run defense that is allowing a dreadful 5.3 yards per carry this year, look for the Panthers to give Louisville everything they can handle on Saturday. Take Pitt.
Free Pick: Pittsburgh +9½ (-105)