Every season, bowl games bring us first-ever matchups — one such contest in 2024: the Louisville Cardinals vs. the Washington Huskies.
Who will come out on top? Our Louisville vs. Washington prediction breaks down everything you need to know — from the latest betting odds to what’s at stake for both teams as they battle in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
Louisville vs. Washington Sun Bowl Betting Preview
All Louisville vs. Washington odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The CFN spread comes from College Football Network’s Football Playoff Meter.
- CFN FPM Spread
Louisville -8 - Spread
Louisville -2.5 - Moneyline
Louisville -135, Washington +114 - Over/Under
49.5 points - Game Time
2:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Dec. 31 - Location
Sun Bowl | El Paso, Texas - Predicted Weather at Kick
TBD - How To Watch
CBS
Bettors have made much money betting on Louisville and Washington to cover recently. The Cardinals are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games, and the Huskies are 2-4 ATS in their last six.
An extra measure pointing away from the latter is that they are 1-6 ATS in their last seven as underdogs.
MORE: CFN Betting Parlay Calculator
Yet, the total trends are a bit more diverse:
- The over has hit in 12 of Louisville’s last 17.
- The under has cashed in all five of Louisville’s past five against Big Ten opponents.
- The under has hit in 12 of Washington’s last 17.
Louisville’s Winning Probability
While Louisville’s season may feel a bit disappointing coming off a 10-4 record and ACC title berth, its 8-4 campaign with a fourth straight bowl appearance is nothing to scoff at. However, the transfer portal has ransacked the depth chart, calling the FPM’s current win probability for the Cardinals of over 70% into question.
- at Washington: 73.8%
Washington’s Winning Probability
We all knew Washington would come back down to Earth from a 14-1 record and a national championship berth, but Jedd Fisch’s 6-6 campaign in the program’s first year in Big Ten was largely forgettable. Of course, capping the season off with a bowl win would go a long way toward winning the fanbase back and building hype for 2025.
- vs. Louisville: 26.2%
Prediction for Louisville vs. Washington
Since their humiliating loss at Stanford on Nov. 16, Louisville has been nearly unstoppable. The Cardinals closed out their regular season in dominant fashion, crushing Pitt 37-9 in their home finale and dismantling Kentucky 41-14 to reclaim the Governor’s Cup.
On the flip side, Washington’s season has been anything but smooth under Fisch, who replaced Kalen DeBoer after his departure to Alabama.
MORE: 2024 College Football Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker
The Huskies barely achieved bowl eligibility, stumbled to a sub-.500 record in their Big Ten debut, and failed to secure back-to-back wins over FBS opponents all year — a stark contrast to their national runner-up campaign in 2023.
Yet, it feels as though Louisville has already packed it up for next season, with numerous players hitting the portal or entering the 2025 NFL Draft, including starting QB Tyler Shough, WR Ja’Corey Brooks, and EDGE Ashton Gillotte.
Washington isn’t facing the same issue, but it will turn the keys of the offense over to true freshman Demon Williams Jr., who has shown flashes in spurts throughout the season.
While typically, you wouldn’t want to put money on a true freshman, Williams has the dual-threat ability to mitigate processing issues under center. Would you rather bet on Louisville’s backup redshirt freshman Pierce Clarkson, who has appeared in just two games this year, completing 3 of 4 passes for 11 yards?
I expect Williams and Co. to put up enough points to leave the Sun Bowl with a dub over the short-handed Cardinals.
Prediction: Washington 27, Louisville 20
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