The Louisville Cardinals 2023 college football season will go into the history books as one of the program’s best. While the season ended on a three-game losing streak, coach Jeff Brohm’s team posted the school’s seventh 10-win season. Brohm also took his alma mater to the ACC Championship Game, a first for UofL, in his first season back on campus.
Now, the Kentucky sports betting question becomes whether UofL can run it back. Brohm and the Cards have a good shot if history is any indicator. In four of the six previous instances, Louisville posted a winning record in the following season, and in three of those, the Cardinals won at least nine games in the ensuing season.
Louisville Record Following 10-Win Seasons
It’s not just past seasons that give the Cardinals and their fans hope heading into 2024. Brohm and his coaching staff have also scored some big wins in the transfer portal for the second consecutive year. On3.com ranks Louisville’s incoming class of transfers the best among Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Of the 23 newcomers, seven are considered four-star athletes. That includes former Tennessee defensive lineman Tyler Baron, who registered six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss this past season, and former Toledo running back Peny Boone, who was the MAC’s Offensive Player of the Year and rushed for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Louisville’s 10-win 2023 season shocked many, especially since the Cardinals were projected to finish eighth in the ACC in a preseason media poll. They likely won’t sneak up on teams in 2024, even if the schedule is a little harder this fall than last season.
Oddsmakers at Kentucky sports betting apps, though, aren’t ready to tag Louisville as a serious title contender just yet. A review of licensed Kentucky sports betting operators already offering 2024 futures odds found the Cards are considered longshots.
Shortest Preseason Odds in Seven Years
Five sportsbooks have Louisville as the fourth choice among ACC teams, with Florida State, Clemson and Miami all having shorter title odds. BetMGM Sportsbook Kentucky gives Miami the same odds as UofL. At +8000, the Cards have the same preseason odds as Washington, this past season’s runner-up.
According to SportsOddsHistory.com, Louisville has its shortest preseason national championship odds since 2017, when the Cards were coming off Lamar Jackson’s Heisman Trophy season.
For those looking to use Kentucky sportsbook promos to get early bets down on the national championship, Georgia is the current favorite at +375. Ohio State is second at +600.
