September 3, 2015
Coffee: 10 reasons Louisville will win
Jack Coffee
CardinalSports.com Publisher
Talk about it in The Collision Course
Louisville's most significant opening game in its college football history is tomorrow and the Cards can defeat Auburn and I predict they will. This is not a 'feel good' prediction but my opinion after hours of analysis of the two teams last season and the additional players added to each team this season.
1. The Tigers are overrated. This has been a common theme of Card fans throughout the summer but it appears to be true. Why do all the 'experts' pick Auburn as a potential national champion? Based on what? Their record last season was 8-5 after rising to 3rd in the polls, they start a new quarterback, and they have 8 freshmen in the two-deep depth chart and lost some of their best players.
2. Auburn suffers from an infectious disease-SEC Swagger. A person doesn't have to live in Alabama like I did for four years to understand the mindset by people in the SEC that they are simply better than everyone else and running onto the field against out of conference teams is all it takes to win. Wisconsin finished third in the Big Ten but defeated Auburn in the Outback Bowl last season. Overconfidence is a dangerous malady in football.
3. Bobby Petrino's coaching ability. Petrino has a 75% winning record in college in spite of coaching four stints at three schools. He has a history of winning and winning quickly in C-USA, the Big East and the SEC. Because of his offensive acumen he is difficult to prepare for defensively.
4. No staff turnover for the Cards. From 2014-2015 Louisville kept it's entire coaching staff intact. That is very important for the confidence of the players. Familiarity between player and coach will pay off this season for the Cards.
5. Transfers- Louisville has 11 transfers that become eligible this season. Several were outstanding for their previous M5 schools including Devante Fields the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
6. ACC-SEC recent history - The myth that the SEC is dominant was dispelled last season when the ACC went 4-0 in classic matchups won by Clemson over South Carolina, Florida State over Florida, Georgia Tech over Georgia and Louisville over Kentucky.
7. Bobby Petrino's opening game history - In ten seasons Bobby Petrino has never lost an opening game. Granted this will be his toughest test to date but his ability to prepare a team will prevail once again.
8. Road History - last season Louisville played tough on the road at Virginia and Clemson but lost on mistakes. This season those mistakes will hopefully go away as the Cards are better coached and more experienced.
9. Decided underdogs - the betting services have the Cards a 10.5-point underdog, In big games there is an advantage in being the underdog because you have nothing to lose. It's much better to play to win than to play not to lose.
10. It's Louisville's time - Last season the Cards lost three games they could have won. Fumbles, missed blocks and fatigue were the biggest problem. With experience and practice those problems will hopefully be overcome in Petrino's second season.
Well, tomorrows the big game and everything that can be said has been said. Let's get it on.
Coffee: 10 reasons Louisville will win
Jack Coffee
CardinalSports.com Publisher
Talk about it in The Collision Course
Louisville's most significant opening game in its college football history is tomorrow and the Cards can defeat Auburn and I predict they will. This is not a 'feel good' prediction but my opinion after hours of analysis of the two teams last season and the additional players added to each team this season.
1. The Tigers are overrated. This has been a common theme of Card fans throughout the summer but it appears to be true. Why do all the 'experts' pick Auburn as a potential national champion? Based on what? Their record last season was 8-5 after rising to 3rd in the polls, they start a new quarterback, and they have 8 freshmen in the two-deep depth chart and lost some of their best players.
2. Auburn suffers from an infectious disease-SEC Swagger. A person doesn't have to live in Alabama like I did for four years to understand the mindset by people in the SEC that they are simply better than everyone else and running onto the field against out of conference teams is all it takes to win. Wisconsin finished third in the Big Ten but defeated Auburn in the Outback Bowl last season. Overconfidence is a dangerous malady in football.
3. Bobby Petrino's coaching ability. Petrino has a 75% winning record in college in spite of coaching four stints at three schools. He has a history of winning and winning quickly in C-USA, the Big East and the SEC. Because of his offensive acumen he is difficult to prepare for defensively.
4. No staff turnover for the Cards. From 2014-2015 Louisville kept it's entire coaching staff intact. That is very important for the confidence of the players. Familiarity between player and coach will pay off this season for the Cards.
5. Transfers- Louisville has 11 transfers that become eligible this season. Several were outstanding for their previous M5 schools including Devante Fields the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.
6. ACC-SEC recent history - The myth that the SEC is dominant was dispelled last season when the ACC went 4-0 in classic matchups won by Clemson over South Carolina, Florida State over Florida, Georgia Tech over Georgia and Louisville over Kentucky.
7. Bobby Petrino's opening game history - In ten seasons Bobby Petrino has never lost an opening game. Granted this will be his toughest test to date but his ability to prepare a team will prevail once again.
8. Road History - last season Louisville played tough on the road at Virginia and Clemson but lost on mistakes. This season those mistakes will hopefully go away as the Cards are better coached and more experienced.
9. Decided underdogs - the betting services have the Cards a 10.5-point underdog, In big games there is an advantage in being the underdog because you have nothing to lose. It's much better to play to win than to play not to lose.
10. It's Louisville's time - Last season the Cards lost three games they could have won. Fumbles, missed blocks and fatigue were the biggest problem. With experience and practice those problems will hopefully be overcome in Petrino's second season.
Well, tomorrows the big game and everything that can be said has been said. Let's get it on.
