📡 Way-Too-Early Score Predictions: Alabama vs. Louisville - 247Sports

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Way-Too-Early Score Predictions: Alabama vs. Louisville

Alabama begins its 2018 season in Orlando in a matchup with the Louisville Cardinals.

This story is part of an 11-week long breakdown BamaOnLine is doing of every game on the Crimson Tide’s 2018 schedule (sorry, The Citadel). And we begin with the Cardinals.

To cap Louisville week, here’s a look at the BamaOnLine staff’s way-too-early score predictions for Alabama’s season-opening game against the Cards, coming out of spring practice.

Charlie Potter: Alabama 41, Louisville 14
Despite losing a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, the Cardinals have a lot of talent back on the offensive side of the football. But it’s defense, not so much. Facing an Alabama offense that will have plenty of weapons, and based on how UA’s season-opening games in the past have transpired, things could get ugly quick for Louisville near the Happiest Place on Earth. I don’t think the Cards’ new signal caller can keep up with a Crimson Tide offense, led by either Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa.

Travis Reier: Alabama 38, Louisville 13
Shortly after this game was set in stone, the Lamar Jackson Show got underway in Louisville. Three years and a 2016 Heisman Trophy later, Jackson left UL with a year a of eligibility remaining. His successor, Jawon Pass, is a physically impressive signal caller who has a big-time talent to work with in wide receiver Jaylen Smith. It's along the lines of scrimmage where the Cards won't have near enough.

Kirk McNair: Alabama 42, Louisville 9
Louisville was 8-5 last year with former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson at quarterback. The Cardinals have Jawon Pass taking over at quarterback and he may prove to be pretty good one day, but it’s not likely he’s Lamar Jackson. The running game (again without Jackson) is a question mark for Louisville, even though the Cardinals have an experienced offensive line. (See Alabama’s spring game for what Bama’s defensive front can do to an experienced offensive line.) New Louisville defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder (once at Auburn) isn’t likely to send chills up the backs of SEC opponents. Like Alabama, the Cardinals are rebuilding their defense, and Alabama will attack it with three (at least) outstanding running backs and three (at least) quality wide receivers. Las Vegas probably has this one about right.

Hank South: Alabama 34, Louisville 10
The post-Lamar Jackson era at Louisville gets off to a rough start as the Alabama defense stifles a young Jawon Pass who is working to get his footing as Louisville’s starting quarterback. The Tide’s veteran rushing attack wears down Louisville’s defense opening up big play opportunities through the air.

Tim Watts: Alabama 52, Louisville 10
A heavily loaded Alabama offense heads into this game with two quarterbacks looking to stake their claim as the starter. This is bad news for a Cardinals defense that struggled and lost one of the most valuable players in college football on offense this offseason.

 

[TUSKtimes]

I still respect Petrino's Arkansas teams enough to say it's hard to figure what we will get. Even though we always played them well, with a too close for comfort game thrown in in 2010 in Fayetteville, Maybe in retrospect we will be glad we opened with a pass-happy team to set us up for the upgrade in the West.

There is no doubt the SEC is going to throw the ball better this season. Stidham is in his second year and with that will come better efficiency and if their OL and running aren't more dynamic, then out of necessity, they will let it rip. Besides, you know Gus wants to. Jimbo is going to work his magic through the air and he has the signal caller to do it. Unlike some other programs that throw for the sake of throwing, he is more measured and usually has a stinging running game to boot. And a stout D. Though I'm not sure all of the pieces are there this year. I even heard that LSU has a quarterback with the transfer of Burrows from Ohio State. Can they finally find their way through the air? Don't know, but from what I saw in the spring game they should be happy to get the buckeye. And Ole Miss will still be chunking the ball out of the Huge Freeze scheme with a proven QB.

Which brings me to Arkansas and Miss St. All I really know about these new coaches is that they will be pushing the issue through the air. Barring a grad transfer of their own, I don't think the Razorbacks have the QB right now to run their system like they would want. It's a new system and lots of holes to fill thanks to some subpar recruiting for a few years. But the Dawgs have the QB, maybe 2 of them and a team with a lot of talent on it. This was going to be one of Mullen's best and I hear the new guy from Penn St. has some pass-happy in him as well and as we know, a lot of the media is picking them to finish second to us in the West.

So if we open with the Cardinals throwing a ton against our new DBs, maybe, it's just what the doctor ordered.

 

[TerryP]

Maybe in retrospect we will be glad we opened with a pass-happy team to set us up for the upgrade in the West.

There is no doubt the SEC is going to throw the ball better this season.

BAMA fan #1: I really hate we're opening with Louisville. Our scheduling sucks. We need to do better.
BAMA fan #2: I'm really worried about our secondary. We have literally no experience in that group.

So if we open with the Cardinals throwing a ton against our new DBs, maybe, it's just what the doctor ordered.

Welcome to my bandwagon. We're pushing it now because I beat the hell out of the horses.

 

[TerryP]

Louisville was 8-5 last year with former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson at quarterback. The Cardinals have Jawon Pass taking over at quarterback and he may prove to be pretty good one day, but it’s not likely he’s Lamar Jackson.

You guys see Jawon's name mentioned often. Here's something I find of note here when you take comments like this one from McNair; "but it's not likely he's Lamar Jackson."

Here's the thing. When Bama signed Jalen who else were they after? Jawon. In terms of rankings, he was one spot lower than Jalen (#4 dual threat versus #5.) It's likely he is another Jalen which could spell some issues for the depth in Bama's ILB position. If he can throw the ball better than Jalen?

 

[TUSKtimes]

You guys see Jawon's name mentioned often. Here's something I find of note here when you take comments like this one from McNair; "but it's not likely he's Lamar Jackson."

Here's the thing. When Bama signed Jalen who else were they after? Jawon. In terms of rankings, he was one spot lower than Jalen (#4 dual threat versus #5.) It's likely he is another Jalen which could spell some issues for the depth in Bama's ILB position. If he can throw the ball better than Jalen?

Just not sure why Petrino didn't put a bigger scare in the ACC the last 2 years with Lamar. The most mercurial player I've ever seen. He actually did better overall with Ryan Mallet and Tyler Wilson in "10" and "11." Maybe just too much reliance on a one-man band? Petrino can coach up the position so giving that he's already done more with less we just need to be ready in this one.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Coaching and having the talent is soooooo different

 

[sean]

Coaching and having the talent is soooooo different

EXACTLY!!!

you can recruit all the top guys in the world. but if you can't coach them properly, then nothing will ever come to fruition.

 

[252BAMA]

34-7 will be appropriate.

 

[ChemE]

Bama 41 Louisville 6

 

[UAgrad93]

38-7 BAMA!