A big matchup Friday night under the lights opens Week 5 of Atlantic Coastal Conference football, with the undefeated Louisville Cardinals taking their high-scoring offense into Raleigh to take on the 3-1 North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Who emerges victorious? Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and an NC State vs. Louisville prediction.
NC State vs. Louisville Betting and DFS Previews
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. Want to take advantage of the NC State vs. Louisville odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page right here.
- Spread
Louisville -3 - Moneyline
Louisville -166, NC State +140 - Over/Under
55 points - Game time
7:00 p.m. ET - Location
Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC - Predicted Weather at Kick
62.6 degrees, 8 mph winds, cloudy - How to Watch
FuboTV, ESPN
[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/new/widget/tile/cfb/org:college-football-network/entity:louisville-cardinals/variant:1/autopilot:game?id=319b44ce-07f6-4ae7-8055-85e48ad7d16a”]
Looking to lay down something on Louisville? Or are the Wolfpack ready to win and the team to wager on? If you’re going to take advantage of the NC State vs. Louisville odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
Louisville comes into this Friday night match hot off a bewitching beatdown of Boston College last week. Meanwhile, NC State scraped a victory over Virginia a week ago to go 3-1 on the season. They’re both undefeated in the ACC, but it feels like there’s a world between these two teams. The Cardinals stuck it to NC State last season, and we could see a similar scenario this time.
Louisville on the moneyline won’t bag you much of a return, so are there other attractive options? Well, yes, there are. NC State hasn’t covered the spread once all season, and given the small spread for this game, I’m willing to wager that the Wolfpack fail to get within three points. None of the previous eight Louisville wins have come by at least one touchdown.
There have been high-scoring editions of this matchup in the past, and the scene is set for another offensive battle royale. Louisville has averaged over 40 points against their ACC opposition through two games. NC State has yet to score less than 24 points in a game — even in their loss to Notre Dame. The 55-point line is there for the taking, so take it.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
NC State Depth Chart | Louisville Depth Chart
- QB Brennan Armstrong, NC State ($10,700)
- QB Jack Plummer, Louisville ($10,500)
- RB Jawhar Jordan, Louisville ($10,000)
- RB Michael Allen, NC State ($6,800)
- RB Delbert Mimms, NC State ($6,500)
- RB Isaac Guerendo, Louisville ($6,100)
- RB Maurice Turner, Louisville ($5,200)
- RB Kendrick Raphael, NC State ($4,700)
- WR Jamari Thrash, Louisville ($9,700)
- WR Kevin Concepcion, NC State ($7,800)
- WR Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, Louisville ($7,600)
- WR Keyon Lesane, NC State ($5,600)
- WR Kevin Coleman Jr., Louisville ($5,500)
- WR Porter Rooks, NC State ($5,500)
- WR Julian Gray, NC State ($5,200)
- WR Brad Rozner, NC State ($5,00)
- TE Trent Pennix, NC State ($4,900)
- TE Joey Gatewood, Louisville ($4,600)
There are three college football games on Friday to compile your DFS team from in Week 5. If you’re new to DFS, Fanduel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a “superflex” that can be any of the above. Or you can also select a tight end for the Superflex spot.
Jack Plummer isn’t the highest-scoring fantasy football quarterback in action on Friday night — he’s tallied four interceptions and a neutered ground-game presence limiting his output so far. That said, he’s your best option, especially since Oregon State QB D.J. Uiagalelei facing one of the most efficient defenses in the nation in the Utah Utes. Plug in Plummer, and watch your DFS and fantasy lineups thrive.
While Louisville will split carries between RB Jawhar Jordan and RB Isaac Guerendo, Jordan is as valuable of a fantasy football asset as he is impactful on the field. The highest-scoring fantasy running back in the ACC, the Louisville back has scored a touchdown every game and has recorded two scores in two games. He’s also a receiving threat who notched a touchdown last game.
Depending on your remaining budget from those two NC State vs. Louisville picks, you’re going to want to add WR Kevin Concepcion to your roster. He’s the go-to guy in the Wolfpack offense and has snagged more than double the receptions and receiving yards of any other NC State WR. The true freshman caught his first career touchdown last Friday night against Virginia.
Prediction for NC State vs. Louisville
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the NC State vs. Louisville odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction. Will the Wolfpack wow with a win against the weight of expectation? Or is Louisville too good to lose, as they seek to go 5-0 for the first time since 2013?
Take away a shutout to FCS Murray State, the Louisville defense has proven to be susceptible to an aerial attack. Georgia Tech shocked the living daylights out of the Cardinals early in the season opener, and even Boston College’s anemic passing game put up almost 300 yards and three touchdowns — albeit with the last two coming in a relatively redundant second half.
In two games against ACC opposition, Louisville has allowed an average of 31 points per game. So, the opportunity is there for NC State. The question is, can they take advantage of it? The Wolfpack have scored at least 24 points every game this season, but their points have come largely through the ground game — an element where Louisville has been much stronger.
With similar defensive capability in terms of yards per play — 5.60 for Louisville and 5.67 for NC State — the stronger offense is likely to be the difference maker. Brian Brohm’s Louisville offense is clearly that. Whether it’s Plummer averaging 11.5 yards an attempt or Jordan rushing at 9.6 yards per clip, the firepower is all in favor of the road team Friday night.
Prediction: Louisville 34, NC State 24