One of the biggest games on the 2024 ACC schedule takes place Saturday as No. 6 Miami looks to remain unbeaten in a tough road spot at Louisville. The Hurricanes enter the game off a bye following a pair of close calls against Virginia Tech (38-34) and Cal (39-38). Now they get an opportunity to make a statement on a big stage heading into the second half of their schedule.
For Louisville, the game presents a chance to take a big step forward in the ACC title race after finishing as the conference runner-up a year ago. The Cardinals still have games at Clemson and a conference finale against unbeaten Pitt in November to negotiate, so winning this game (and getting the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage) would be be a major boost to their chances.
Though Miami holds an 11-4-1 advantage in the all-time series, Louisville has won four of the last six meetings including a 38-31 thriller in Hard Rock Stadium last season.
Miami vs. Louisville: Need to know
Cam Ward putting together an all-time season for Miami QBs: With 437 yards passing in the win against Cal, Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward became the first player in program history to open his Miami career with six straight 300-yard passing games. His 20 passing touchdowns also rank first nationally. He’s scored three or more total touchdowns in each game, and his efforts have helped the offense rack up a whopping 583.8 yards per game, which ranks No. 1 in the country. Miami is also No. 1 FBS in plays of 20-or-more yards with 53 on the season. All of that has helped Ward garner +900 betting odds to win the Heisman trophy, according to BetMGM.
Louisville has found a breakout star freshman in Isaac Brown: After two losing two talented running backs to the NFL, Louisville has found another star in true freshman Isaac Brown, who currently leads all true freshmen with 508 yards rushing on the season. The reigning ACC Rookie of the Week had 146 yards and two touchdowns on just 20 carries in last week’s come-from-behind win against Virginia. His totals have him on pace to threaten Lamar Jackson (2015) for the top single-season rushing performances by a true freshman in program history. Brown also ranks seventh nationally with an 8.6 yards per carry.
Hurricanes causing havoc on defense: Miami’s defense has been excellent at delivering big plays. The Hurricanes rank No. 7 nationally in sacks per game (3.33), No. 12 in tackles for loss per game (7.8) and No. 5 in interceptions (10). Heading into Week 8, Miami is one of just six teams that rank in the top 15 of in both total offense (No. 1) and total defense No. 14). The other squads on that list are all title contenders, including Texas, Indiana, Ohio State, Tennessee and Penn State.
How to watch Miami vs. Louisville live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 19 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: L&N Stadium — Louisville, Ky.
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Miami vs. Louisville prediction, picks
I think last year’s meeting between these two says a lot about this Saturday’s big-stage showdown, even with so many of the key players swapped out. Jeff Brohm is an excellent game-planner who can dial up up explosive plays. wWhile Miami’s defense can be disruptive, that group has also given up chunk plays the last couple of weeks. This has all the makings of a track meet that comes down to the final possessions. Your best play on sports betting apps is to tackle the total. Pick: Over 61.5
All sports betting odds via BetMGM Sportsbook. Check out the latest BetMGM promo to get in the game.
SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for five outright upsets in Week 8 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.
