Belk Bowl Betting: Louisville Cardinals vs. Georgia Bulldogs Odds, Analysis

The Louisville Cardinals will be going for their third straight postseason victory when they meet the Georgia Bulldogs in the Belk Bowl. The Cardinals have won their last two bowl games, and they are 4-1 straight up and against the spread in their past five. The Bulldogs have dropped three of their last four bowl games SU and ATS and will be facing a team other than the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the first time in three years.

Belk Bowl point spread: Bulldogs opened as seven-point favorites; the total was 56. (Line updates and matchup report)

Odds Shark computer prediction: 45.7-38.0 Bulldogs

Why the Cardinals can cover the spread

Louisville played well down the stretch under head coach Bobby Petrino, winning three in a row and covering the spread in two of those games. Two of the team’s three losses came as an underdog visiting the Clemson Tigers and hosting the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles.

The Cardinals have gone 9-1 ATS in their past 10 games as underdogs, with the lone loss during that stretch coming against the Seminoles, who were 3.5-point favorites at Louisville and won 42-31 after trailing 21-0 early in the second quarter. That is also the only setback by the Cardinals since star wide receiver DeVante Parker returned from a foot injury. Parker totaled 35 receptions for 735 yards and five touchdowns in just five games with Louisville going 4-1.

Why the Bulldogs can cover the spread

Georgia has split two games against Nebraska in its previous two postseason appearances, losing to the Cornhuskers 24-19 as an 8.5-point favorite in last year’s Gator Bowl. The Bulldogs had high expectations heading into this season following that loss, and they won three of four down the stretch both SU and ATS after suffering a surprising 38-20 loss to the Florida Gators as 12-point chalk on November 1.

Georgia also fell to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 30-24 as a 10.5-point favorite in their finale to snap a three-game winning streak and lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks 38-35 as 8.5-point road chalk in their SEC opener. The Bulldogs were favored in every game this season, so oddsmakers obviously like them too and expect them to come through here.

Smart pick

Parker’s presence has been a huge boost for the Cardinals and could be the difference in this game. He was a projected first-round NFL draft pick before the season and may still be picked that high after tearing it up in the last five games of the season. While his return has certainly helped Louisville, the loss of running back Todd Gurley put a dark cloud over Georgia’s season, both during his suspension and then again when he blew out his knee.

The Bulldogs managed without him due to the emergence of freshman running back Nick Chubb. But if the Cardinals can contain Chubb, they will have a great shot to not only cover the spread but also win the game outright. Bet on it.

Trends

• Louisville is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games
• Georgia is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games

Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark. Follow us on Twitter for injury updates and line move updates.