Louisville vs Washington Prediction College Football Picks 12/31/24

Washington Huskies Betting Preview

The Washington Huskies are 6-6 (4-5) this season after they lost to Oregon by a score of 49-21 in their last game. Washington only trailed 7-6 in the second quarter, but it was all Oregon after that in the blowout loss. The Huskies were out gained by a total of 458-244, tied the turnover battle at one, and went 4-12 on third down in the game. Demond Williams Jr. threw for 201 yards and one touchdown, while Giles Jackson caught six passes for 69 yards and one score in the game. 

Washington also has losses against Penn State, Indiana, Iowa, Rutgers, and Washington State, while picking up wins against Weber State, Eastern Michigan, Northwestern, Michigan, USC, and UCLA. The Washington offense has scored 22.5 points per game with 252.3 passing yards and 131.3 rushing yards per game, while the defense has allowed 22.8 points against per game this season. Demond Williams Jr. has completed 76.7% of his passes for 570 yards and four touchdowns, while Jonah Coleman has rushed for 1,011 yards and 10 scores this year. 

Why Washington will beat Louisville

• Washington has won 17 of its last 20 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Louisville has lost three of its last four games in December.
• Louisville has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games at neutral venues.
• Washington has covered the spread in four of its last five games as an underdog at neutral venues.

Total Points Facts

• Eight of Washington's last nine games played at neutral venues have gone UNDER the total points line.
• Five of Louisville's last six December games as a favorite have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Washington ranks T118th among FBS teams for Q1 points per game this season (3.7).
• Washington ranks T19th among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (3.4).
• Louisville ranks 8th among FBS teams for average point differential in third quarters this season (+5.7).
• Louisville ranks 9th among FBS teams for points per game this season (36.6).

Louisville vs Washington Prediction 

Louisville comes into this matchup after winning four of their last five games and dominating their rival last time out, but they are missing a good amount of key players here. The Cardinals will be using their backup quarterback, which will be tough against a slightly above average Washington defense. The Huskies will also be missing some players and they are hurting on the offensive line, but they definitely have the quarterback advantage. It is tough to tell how teams will respond when so many players opt out, but I have to side with the better quarterback here. Take Washington and the points in this matchup.