Louisville @ West Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 20, 2010 ) West Virginia 17, Louisville 10

THE STORY: Newly Big 12-bound West Virginia begins a stretch of three games against the three teams it's most closely battling for the Big East's BCS berth when the No. 21 Mountaineers welcome Louisville. Not much was expected of the Cardinals, who were picked to finish next-to-last in the conference, but they ride a two-game winning streak into Morgantown. That includes Saturday's 27-10 victory over Syracuse, which may have suffered a letdown after the Orange stunned the Mountaineers one week earlier.

TV: ESPN3.com, Big East Network. LINE: West Virginia -13.5.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (4-4, 2-1 Big East): The Cardinals have rebounded nicely after early losses to Florida International and Marshall. After falling at Cincinnati – the only Big East team left without a league defeat – Louisville has knocked off formidable foes in Rutgers and Syracuse and owns the nation's 11th-ranked defense (16.3 points against). The Cardinals kept the visiting Orange out of the end zone until the closing minutes in an inspired performance – before kickoff they got a visit from senior cornerback Anthony Conner, who had broken his neck against the Scarlet Knights. They posted 15 negative-yardage plays and four sacks in holding Syracuse to nearly 200 fewer yards than WVU's defense yielded.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (6-2, 2-1 Big East): West Virginia showed the resolve of a contender Saturday at Rutgers by rallying from a 10-point halftime deficit that could have buried its BCS hopes in the snowy conditions. The Mountaineers pitched a second-half shutout and scored three touchdowns – including quarterback Geno Smith's plunge on a fourth-and-goal – to pull out a 41-31 triumph. Sophomore Darwin Cook made perhaps the defensive play of the game for WVU, breaking up a pass in the end zone when Rutgers tried a fake field goal from the 11-yard line while leading 31-28. Senior Julian Miller recovered two fumbles as the Mountaineers forced four turnovers.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Louisville true freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is coming off his best outing (17-for-24, 198 yards, two TDs) since taking over for injured Will Stein four games into the season. He ended a streak of four straight games throwing an interception.

2. WVU freshman Dustin Garrison has just 28 carries for 161 yards combined in the three games since racking up 291 yards on 32 carries against Bowling Green on Oct. 1.

3. The Mountaineers hold a 9-2 series advantage and have won four straight, including a 17-10 decision in Louisville last year.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 45, Louisville 20 – The Cardinals haven't faced an offense like West Virginia's (38.6 points per game), so don't expect them to limit WVU to just 17 for a third straight year.