Louisville vs. USC Forecasting, Over/Under Pick, and Current DIRECTV Holiday Bowl Odds
There will be a few conspicuous omissions from Wednesday’s 2023 Holiday Bowl between the USC Trojans (7-5) and the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals (10-3).
In order to prepare ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Louisville defensive back Jawhar Jordan and former Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of USC have both chosen to sit out the game.
Both teams, though, have competent and hungry backups filling in for those lost positions; USC will likely look to Miller Moss, while Louisville will be hoping Isaac Guerendo can maintain his production as the team’s primary running back.
Kickoff at San Diego, California’s Petco Park is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Cardinals are 7-point favorites over USC according to the most recent Louisville vs. USC odds, and the consensus over/under is 59 points.
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High-profile opt-outs will affect both of these teams, although Jack Plummer, the quarterback for Louisville, will be playing.
In his lone season at Louisville, the former starter for Purdue and Cal passed for 3,063 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Furthermore, the transfer portal or opt-outs have not adversely affected Louisville’s defense, which has only allowed 19.7 points and 307.4 yards per game this season.
Following an 11-sack season, Ashton Gillotte declared he would return to Louisville the following year. Devin Neal, who recorded 67 tackles and four interceptions, will also be active.
This season, Louisville’s offense is rated 40th with 420.8 yards per game, but their defense is even more potent, as they are ranked 17th with just 310.2 yards allowed per game.
Louisville has been a top-25 defensive team, coming in at number 22 with just 19.7 points allowed per game. Louisville’s offense is ranked 45th, averaging 30.9 points per game.
This year, Louisville’s offense is 45th with 176.8 running yards per game; on defense, they have improved and are rated 13th with only 104.8 rushing yards allowed per game.
One of the competing teams just needs to make the short trip to San Diego for the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl, which will be held at Petco Park on Wednesday.
Against Louisville, it’s a similar tale: wide receiver Jamari Thrash and running back Jawhar Jordan have chosen to forego their senior seasons in favor of entering the NFL Draft.
That would be the USC Trojans, of course, while the Louisville Cardinals, their opponent, end the season with a more conventional bowl game event akin to a vacation.
Many of the players who carried these clubs into the postseason will not be participating in this match.
Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams, along with other offensive standouts MarShawn Lloyd and Brenden Rice, has decided to drop out and is anticipated to enter the NFL Draft.