The 24th-ranked Louisville Cardinals look to rebound from an opening game loss when they take on the Villanova Wildcats in their 2026 home opener on Friday. Louisville is 71-33-3 all-time in home openers, including a 3-0 mark under coach Jeff Brohm. The Wildcats (1-1), who finished second in the Coastal Athletic Association and 12-3 overall in 2025, are coming off a 17-16 win over Bucknell in Week 1. The Cardinals (0-1), who tied for seventh in the ACC at 4-4 and were 9-4 overall a year ago, dropped a 41-38 decision at Mississippi on Sunday.  Claim the latest Polymarket promo code CBSSPORTS to get a $50 bonus after $10 in trades:

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky. The Cardinals are 37.5-point favorites in the latest Villanova vs. Louisville odds. The over/under for total points is 56.5. This will be the first-ever meeting between the teams. Before making any Villanova vs. Louisville picks, check out what SportsLine college football expert Emory Hunt has to say. 

Hunt is a CBS Sports HQ analyst who also is featured on SportsLine’s Early Edge show breaking down NFL and college football matchups. He enters this week on a 7-3 roll over his past 10 college football picks on college football betting sites. He has also returned $358 to $100 players on betting sites on top-rated CFB picks. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.  

Now, Hunt has locked in another confident pick for Villanova vs. Louisville. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and trends for Louisville vs. Villanova:

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Top Villanova vs. Louisville predictions

One of Hunt’s top picks for Villanova vs. Louisville: He’s going Over 56.5 total points (-110) as Louisville enters as the -37.5 favorite at betting apps. Hunt is confident the Cardinals can dominate the Wildcats’ defense. Louisville easily moved the ball against Ole Miss last week, registering nine plays of 20 yards or more, including seven passing and two rushing. Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz amassed 376 total yards of offense, including 307 passing in his first collegiate start. 

“QB Lincoln Keinholz looked dynamic and confident as a playmaker, nearly leading his team to victory,” Hunt told SportsLine. “There ought to be some positive momentum coming into this home game vs Villanova.” Head to SportsLine to see Hunt’s Villanova vs. Louisville spread pick. 

How to make Villanova vs. Louisville picks

In addition to going Over on the point total, he’s found a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You absolutely need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.  

So who wins Villanova vs. Louisville on Friday, and what x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from college football expert Emory Hunt, who is 7-3 (+358) over his last 10 college football picks, and find out.