The Daily Sweat: Louisville and Boise State look to bounce back after Week 1 disappointments

Louisville and Boise State are looking to score their first wins of the season on Friday night.

Both teams suffered big losses in Week 1. The Cardinals fell 31-7 at Syracuse, while Boise State lost 34-17 at Oregon State.

Louisville is a 5.5-point underdog ahead of its game Friday night at UCF (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Cardinals beat the Knights in 2021 in a game that ended up being the last in a UCF uniform for now-Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Former Ole Miss QB John Rhys Plumlee is now the QB for the Knights and they cruised in Week 1 over South Carolina State. Plumlee threw for 308 yards and 4 TDs while rushing for 100 yards and a score against the Knights’ FCS foe.

The Cardinals’ offense was brutal in the loss to Syracuse. Malik Cunningham has shown he can be one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the country but threw two interceptions and rushed for just 34 yards against the Orange.

UCF is a better team than Syracuse as well and one of the favorites to be in the AAC title game. We’re inclined to lay the points and take the Knights. While Louisville’s struggles in Week 1 may ultimately be an aberration, UCF could challenge for 10 wins this season.

Boise State, meanwhile, heads to New Mexico after QB Hank Bachmeier was benched in the first half of the loss to the Beavers. Bachmeier had three turnovers across Boise State’s first six possessions and was replaced by redshirt freshman Taylen Green.

Boise State could play both quarterbacks again on Friday night (9 p.m. ET, FS1) but the trip to New Mexico could be the perfect opportunity for Bachmeier to redeem himself. The Broncos are 17-point favorites over the Lobos.

New Mexico is 1-0 but has just one win against Boise State in 12 games against the Broncos. That win came in 2015 when UNM beat Boise State 31-24. The last six games have all been decided by at least two touchdowns and Boise State has won the last two matchups between the teams by a combined 79-9.

The Lobos’ inability to score points against Boise State in the last two games is a big reason why the total is just 44.5. We think New Mexico is better this season, however. And while a bowl game may be out of reach, they should get enough points to help the over cash.

European soccer outside of England goes on

The EPL announced Friday that all games had been postponed because of the death of Queen Elizabeth II at 96. But there are still games in Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A and Germany’s Bundesliga. Barcelona (-400) and Real Madrid (-375) are both huge favorites over their opponents in La Liga, while RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund are in the biggest game of the weekend on the continent. Leipzig is a slight favorite at +135 while Dortmund is at +170 to win.

Guardians and Twins in a huge series

The race for the AL Central title is the best in baseball at the moment. The Cleveland Guardians are 1.5 games up on both the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox and the Twins host the Guardians this weekend. Minnesota is -115 to win straight up Friday night while the Guardians are -105 and +165 as a 1.5-run favorite. Cal Quantrill starts Friday night for Cleveland while Dylan Bundy takes the mound for Minnesota. The White Sox are in Oakland for a three-game series and are -155 to win Friday night with Lucas Giolito on the mound.

Who cashed tickets Thursday?

Buffalo Bills bettors were thrilled with the team’s big win over the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams to open the season. Under bettors were also happy with the 31-10 win as it comfortably went under the 52-point total.

Yankees bettors finally saw the team’s luck against the Twins run out as Minnesota got a 4-3 win. The Brewers also swept the Giants in a doubleheader.