← Matchups

SMU

ACC · 2-0 (1-0 ACC) · power +26.8 · #13
Our numberSMU -7.0 no book has priced this game

Louisville

ACC · 1-1 · power +21.9 · #26
Our side
MoneylineSMU to win ours 43% · book 53%
Projected score 31–24 SMU – LOU
2026-09-19 · 3:30 PM L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium · Louisville, KY ACC game Early season

The books 4 account books · tap any price — the ticket builds at that book

Book SMU spreadLOU spread OverUnder SMU winLOU win SMU TT overSMU TT under LOU TT overLOU TT under
DraftKings
FanDuel
BetMGM
ESPN Bet

The gold price is the best available on that side; a gold marks the side our number implies — a read, not a pick. TT is a team total — that team’s own points, not the game’s; columns are empty where no book hangs one. Send to book opens whichever book you tapped, not the one we would have picked. Prices are the books’ own.

Series SMU lead 4–0 · 4 meetings since 1983
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 21 ranks apart
SMU Mustangs #115 rush offense Louisville Cardinals #94 run defense
Pass game even 41 ranks apart
SMU Mustangs #46 pass offense Louisville Cardinals #5 pass defense
Run game even 15 ranks apart
Louisville Cardinals #25 rush offense SMU Mustangs #10 run defense
Pass game edge SMU Mustangs 167 ranks
Louisville Cardinals #209 pass offense SMU Mustangs #42 pass defense
SMU Mustangs Balanced · 47% run Avg pace Louisville Cardinals Balanced · 49% run Ball-control
Rhett Lashlee · 38-16 Jeff Brohm · 86-51 · defense-minded

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
SMU Mustangs
QB Kevin Jennings 767 pass yds · 8 TD · 2 INT #2 QB
DB Jimmy Wyrick 11 tkl · 1 PD #77 DB
TE Randy Pittman Jr. 6 rec · 77 yds · 2 TD #18 TE
WR Yannick Smith 6 rec · 151 yds · 2 TD #91 WR
Louisville Cardinals
QB Lincoln Kienholz 639 pass yds · 4 TD · 0 INT #1 QB
WR Tre Richardson 11 rec · 181 yds · 1 TD #69 WR
TE Jaleel Skinner 5 rec · 137 yds · 1 TD #23 TE
WR Lawayne McCoy 5 rec · 164 yds · 2 TD #102 WR

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
SMU MustangsACC +26.8 +13.9 +12.9 #13
Louisville CardinalsACC +21.9 +16.3 +5.6 #26

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
SMU offense vs Louisville defense+8.3 pts
Louisville offense vs SMU defense+3.4 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 722 mi

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.