Louisville vs. North Carolina State: Spread Info, Line and More for Belk Bowl

The college bowl season will continue on Tuesday when the Louisville Cardinals and North Carolina State Wolfpack square off in the Belk Bowl. 

Both teams enter the game 7-5. While this is not a home game, it takes place in Charlotte, which gives North Carolina State a distinct home field advantage. 

Louisville represents the Big East, while North Carolina state plays in the ACC.

Where: Bank of America Stadium. Charlotte, North Carolina.

When: Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN. Streamed at ESPN3.

Listen: WHAS 840 AM in Lousiville. 101.5 WRAL-FM in Raleigh.

Betting Line

North Carolina State (-1), according to Sportsbook.

Louisville (-105), North Carolina State (-105), according to Sportsbook.

With those odds, this is pretty much a straight up bet. Very little else needs to be considered. I trust Louisville to score more points and keep the ball moving when they need to, so that's where the better money is.

Key Storyline

Which North Carolina State will show up? Both teams enter the game at 7-5, Louisville has been far more consistent. Which Wolfpack team shows up will make the decision in this one.

Who Might Not Play for Louisville

CB Anthony Conner and OL Kamran Joyner are out.

CB Darius Ashley is questionable.

DE Marcus Smith and DT Greg Scruggs are out.

Who Might Not Play for North Carolina State

RB Mustafa Greene, CB Jarvis Byrd, LB Sterling Lucas, DE Jeff Rieskamp, FB Taylor Gentry, and LB D.J. Green are out.

QB Tyler Brosius is questionable.

What it Means for Louisville 

This would mean a lot for Louisville and the Big East. The Cardinals finished in a three-way tie for the conference lead and actually beat the team that won the tiebreaker. The Big East is a much maligned conference so if Louisville steps up and wins this one, it makes their conference look a little better. 

What it Means for North Carolina State

It would be a nice way to finish the season, given the up and down nature of their season thus far. The ACC is gaining depth and will be a monster conference if either Florida State or Miami returns to glory. Winning a game like this would help North Carolina State know that they can compete.

What They're Saying

According to C.L. Brown of the Louisville Courier-Journal, Louisville is embracing their role as the road team in this game. He quoted freshman safety Calvin Pryor as saying the following.

"

I love road games. I feel like that’s when we play our best...Our away record is better than our home record. On the road, I like everybody against us.

"

ESPN's Heather Dinich had this to say in her ACC Blog.

"

While injuries help explain NC State’s 2-3 start to the season, they don’t account for a 27-point deficit in a must-win situation against Maryland. From one half to the next, NC State looked like an entirely different team, as the Wolfpack rallied for what would be the second-biggest comeback in ACC history. NC State trailed 41-14 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter and scored an astounding 35 points in the fourth quarter for a 56-41 win. It was that performance that assured NC State of bowl eligibility. 

"

Louisville Player to Watch

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. This team doesn't have one big player, but many with similar numbers. He will need to find the right weapons and rely on them.

North Carolina State Player to Watch

RB James Washington. This is hardly an elite offense. The Wolfpack will need him to sustain drives and keep the ball moving.

Key Matchup

Bridgewater vs. the North Carolina State secondary. They will need to put packages out on the field and mix Bridgewater's reads up. If he gets comfortable, there are plenty of weapons on the Cardinals to make it a long day for the Wolfpack.

Prediction: Louisville 20, North Carolina State

This will be a good, low scoring game. But in the end, Louisville has too many weapons. They will pull through here.

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