Louisville vs Mississippi   Picks & Props

This is Pete Golding's first head coaching job and going from a coordinator to a head coach of an SEC team that was a few plays away from being in the national championship is a huge jump professionally. 

That said, I have a tough time accepting Mississippi as a -6.5 favorite vs. the Louisville Cardinals on a neutral field. Plus, do you know who beat Miami last season? The Cardinals on the road as +13 underdogs.

Three of their four losses last year were by three or fewer points and two were in overtime. Louisville finished tied for 23rd in net adjusted EPA/play last season, which adjusts for opponent strength and removes garbage time, and 17th in net yards per play, per GameOnPaper.com. 

Jeff Brohm has built a reputation for getting the most out of his teams in big games, especially against ranked opponents. The Louisville head coach is 27-15 against the spread with 20 outright wins as an underdog dating back to his time at Purdue. Ole Miss should be just as good, if not better, than last season, but the Rebels enter with far more pressure. Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz also brings plenty of upside, and Brohm has a history of maximizing his quarterbacks. Expect this one to be close.

Mississippi loses five of its top six pass catchers. Gone are 225 receptions for 3,388 yards and 19 touchdowns, and Deuce Alexander is the WR1 to step up into big-time production for star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.