Notre Dame football looks to start 2019 playoff run vs. Louisville

After a slow start to the 2018 season, Notre Dame football looks to start out on the right foot in their season opener against Louisville.

Notre Dame will return to the field for the first time since their Cotton Bowl loss at the hands of Clemson, taking on the Louisville Cardinals, a team that finished with a 2-10 record last season. However, Monday night marks the beginning of a new year for Louisville, one the team hopes will bring about greater fortunes than a 2018 season spent recovering from the loss of Lamar Jackson.

As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a Cardinals team out for revenge come out firing in game one, something the Irish will have to account for, especially considering the atmosphere of a Week 1 road game. The Irish are much more than capable of taking this game without much of a fight, but the last thing they want to do is put themselves in a corner as the game draws to an end.

Here’s how to watch it all play out this Monday night.

Date: Monday, Sept. 2
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Cardinal Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

While Louisville had an assortment of problems throughout the 2018 season, perhaps their greatest weakness was defending the run. The Cardinals defense allowed nearly 280 rushing yards per game, placing them bottom five in the nation in that category. In fact, opposing teams were so successful on the ground against Louisville that they only averaged 24 passes per game.

Running backs Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones Jr. will be more than happy to try their hands against such a defense, a request that head coach Brian Kelly would be more than happy to oblige as the two look to make their case as a successful college duo in the backfield.

The Irish would really have to mess things up in order to lose this one, but it’s feasible that the Cardinals could ride out a supportive home crowd and a successful game in the trenches to victory should the Irish falter early and often.

Betting Odds

Odds provided by Bovada

Point Spread: Notre Dame -18
Over/Under: 54.5

Prediction

Notre Dame is by far and away the favorite in this one, and for good reason. Despite losing a few key players, this is still a good team with the potential for yet another playoff berth in 2019. Louisville will do their best to make sure the Irish’s playoff chances take an early hit, but Ian Book and Co. are sure to put the Cardinals in a hole early.

Final Score: Notre Dame 30, Louisville 13