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National championship contenders meet in Louisville

Football Betting Lines

11/01/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The national championship picture will gain some clarity Thursday evening, as the third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and the fifth-ranked Louisville Cardinals are set to collide in a much- anticipated Big East Conference matchup. West Virginia has won all seven of its games this season to steadily climb up the national ladder, and none of the contests have been close. In fact, all of the victories have come by double figures, and only once has an opponent managed to stay within 20 points of WVU. The Mountaineers have had almost two full weeks to prepare for this clash, and they are aiming for their 15 consecutive regular season victory, which would extend an already established school record. As for Louisville, it also enters this tilt with a 7-0 record, and while the Cardinals have not been quite as dominant as WVU lately, they have a chance to make a major statement and put themselves in position to contend for a berth in the BCS title tilt. Louisville has been idle since October 21st when it posted a 28-13 decision over Syracuse. With undefeated Rutgers up next for the Cardinals following this clash, the team has a chance to prove itself worthy of such a high ranking. West Virginia holds a 6-1 edge in the all-time series with Louisville, including a 46-44 triple-overtime victory over the Cardinals last season.

West Virginia has scored at least 37 points in all but one of its games thus far, not bad for a team that does not feature a balanced offensive attack. The Mountaineers are averaging 40.9 ppg and 459.3 total ypg to place fourth nationally in total offense and second in scoring offense, and they have been able to accomplish those gaudy numbers on the strength of a dominant ground attack. Tailback Steve Slaton is explosive, a statement backed up by his 1,059 yards, nine touchdowns and 7.0 ypc average. Option quarterback Pat White has done some damage on the ground as well, posting 619 yards and nine scores while averaging a staggering 8.5 ypc. As a passer, White has completed 68.8 percent of his throws for 822 yards with six scores and five interceptions. Darius Reynaud leads all receivers with 25 catches for 299 yards and a pair of scores. West Virginia rolled to a 37-11 victory over Connecticut in its most recent outing, and White had both a passing score and rushing touchdown in the win. Both White and Slaton eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground, and WVU finished with 419 total yards.

While the West Virginia offense receives most of the credit for the team's success, the defense continues to dominate the opposition. The Mountaineers rank eighth nationally in scoring defense, surrendering just 12,7 ppg, and they are 12th in total defense, yielding a meager 271.4 total ypg. Foes have four rushing touchdowns in seven games with averages of 89.3 ypg on the ground and 2.9 ypc. The pass defense has been just as good, holding opposing quarterbacks below a 50 percent completion rating with 10 interceptions. Kevin McLee leads the Mountaineers with 40 total tackles, and Eric Wicks has record three sacks. In the 26-point victory over UConn last time out, West Virginia was once again masterful on defense. The Huskies were only able to post 210 total yards on 67 plays, an average of barely over three yards per snap. The Mountaineers came up with a pair of interceptions and limited UConn to 4-of-15 success on third down conversion attempts.

Louisville currently ranks second nationally in total offense, as the club is racking up 496.1 total ypg. The Cardinals are fifth in scoring offense with 38.7 ppg, so expect them to seriously challenge the stout WVU defense. It all starts with quarterback Brian Brohm. Back from an injury that sidelined him early on, Brohm has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,269 yards with four touchdowns and three picks, and while those numbers aren't going to win him any awards, he is considered by many to be one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the nation. Harry Douglas leads the Cards with 35 catches for 520 yards, while Mario Urrutia also has 520 receiving yards to go along with his four touchdowns. Make no mistake, Louisville's best form of attack offensively is the run, even without the services of star tailback Michael Bush who was lost for the year in the season opener. Kolby Smith has rushed for 451 yards and six touchdowns, while George Stripling has 355 yards and five scores to his credit. Anthony Allen has reached the end zone five times as well, and all three backs are averaging more than five-and-a-half yards per rushing attempt. In the 15- point win over Syracuse last time out, both Allen and Smith finished with two touchdowns. Brohm finished 18-of-26 for 203 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

The Cardinals' defensive stats are eerily similar to those posted by West Virginia thus far. Louisville is allowing only 284.6 total ypg and 12.6 ppg to place seventh nationally in the latter. Only two rushing touchdowns have been scored against the Cardinals, who are yielding 74.9 rushing ypg to rank eighth among the 119 Division I-A teams. The pass defense hasn't been quite as strong, as opponents have made some big plays against the secondary. Clearly, Louisville has the type of defense that can contain West Virginia, but that is much easier said than done. Syracuse posted 322 total yards against the Cardinals last time out, but just 19 of those came on the ground. The low rushing total was certainly aided by the fact that Louisville managed seven sacks totaling 48 yards in losses.

Expect this game to live up to the hype, as both the Mountaineers and Cardinals are exceptionally well coached. Louisville obviously has the advantage of playing at home, but West Virginia has been the more dominant of the two teams this season and will win narrowly.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: West Virginia 27, Louisville 23

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