Ole Miss vs. Louisville odds, line: 2021 college football picks, Week 1 predictions from expert on 8-1 roll

The Week 1 college football schedule concludes with a matchup between Louisville and Ole Miss on Monday. The Cardinals struggled last year and posted a 4-7 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Rebels broke even in the Southeastern Conference with a 5-5 record and are major favorites ahead of their 2021 debut. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin will miss Monday’s contest due to a positive COVID-19 test. 

Kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is set for 8 p.m. ET. The latest Louisville vs. Ole Miss odds from Caesars Sportsbook list the Rebels as 10-point favorites, while the over-under is set at 76. Before making any Louisville vs. Ole Miss picks, check out the college football predictions and betting advice from Barrett Sallee. 

When it comes to college football, there are few who deserve the “expert” tag quite like Sallee. The CBS Sports writer and analyst hosts shows on SiriusXM College, writes for CBSSports.com and appears regularly on CBS Sports HQ as well as countless radio shows across the nation as a guest.

Sallee debuted with SportsLine in 2017 and has delivered in a big way. Over the past two years, he went 79-55 (59 percent) in his popular best bets column and 109-84-3 (plus $1,659) overall on his SportsLine college football picks. In addition, he has his finger on the pulse of Ole Miss. Sallee is 8-1 (+690) in his last nine against-the-spread picks involving the Rebels. Anyone who has followed him is way up

Now, he has set his sights on Ole Miss vs. Louisville. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college football odds and trends for Louisville vs. Ole Miss:

• Louisville vs. Ole Miss spread: Rebels -10
• Louisville vs. Ole Miss over-under: 76 points
• Louisville vs. Ole Miss money line: Rebels -380, Cardinals +300
• LOU: The Cardinals are 3-7 in their previous 10 games
• OM: The Rebels are 4-1 straight up in their last five games

Why Louisville can cover

The Cardinals didn’t have the best season last year, but the Rebels have enough flaws to make this a game. Louisville averaged just under 30 points per game in 2020, balancing its offense with a steady mix of passing and rushing. Ole Miss fielded one of the FBS’s worst defenses last season. The Rebels forked up 38.3 points and more than 500 yards of offense per contest.

Dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham could make things challenging for the Rebels in the first game of his junior season. His versatile skill set could keep the underdog close. Cunningham finished the 2020 campaign with 2,617 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 

Why Ole Miss can cover

The Rebels couldn’t stop many teams from scoring last year, but teams couldn’t stop them either. Ole Miss racked up an impressive 39.2 points per game. Ole Miss scored 48 points at home against Alabama early in the 2020 season, and Louisville doesn’t have that level of defensive talent. The Cardinals gave up 29.2 points per game on the road last year.

Quarterback Matt Corral started to come on at the end of 2020, and this offense could be one of the nation’s best. If Ole Miss has made some improvements on defense, this game could get out of hand. 

How to make Louisville vs. Ole Miss picks

Sallee is leaning under on the total, and he’s also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can only get the pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Louisville vs. Ole Miss? And what critical x-factor do you need to know about? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who has nailed eight of his last nine picks involving Ole Miss, and find out.