Sugar Bowl
#21 Louisville (10-2) vs. #3 Florida (11-1), in New Orleans, Louisiana
Let's be honest, no one is giving Louisville a chance in hell of winning this game. Despite being in the Big East, a BCS conference, they somehow went the entire season without playing a ranked team. People rightfully think very little of the Big East, which in 2014 will no longer have a reserved seat at the table and may not even exist. There are two things that give the Cardinals a sliver of hope tonight in New Orleans. Their head coach and former Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, and their quarterback, the man with a great football name, Teddy Bridgewater. Strong is one of the most respected coaches in the business and surprised many by choosing to stay at Louisville during the recent coaching carousel. His Florida ties can be seen all over the Cardinals roster, as a lot of their players are from Florida. Bridgewater was excellent this season, throwing 25 TDs and just 7 INTs with an otherworldly completion percentage of 69%. Bridgewater's favorite target is WR DeVante Parker. Parker led the Cardinals with 9 touchdowns and has scored a touchdown in seven of his last eight games. WR Damian Coepland led the team in catches this season with 48. Bridgewater hasn't seen a defense like Florida's all year so he will need to get plenty of help from leading rusher Jeremy Wright. Wright's numbers fell off a cliff when his backfield mate, Senorise Perry was lost for the season. In his last three games he has rushed for just 89 yards on 48 carries. He will have to do way more and find holes somewhere for the Cardinals to have a chance tonight. The Gators surprising season was all about their defense. They allowed just 12.9 points per game, giving up just 5 passing touchdowns this season, while intercepting opposing quarterbacks 19 times. Safety Matt Elam is the player to watch on the Gators defense and expect to hear his name multiple times tonight. Led by QB Jeff Driskell, the Gators are pretty terrible at throwing the ball but boast a potent rushing attack. Driskell can break off some big runs himself, but the power back is senior Mike Gillislee. Gillislee had his most impressive performance in the season finale at Florida State. Against the Seminoles stout defense he ran for 140 yards and 2 TDs in the Gators win. The Cardinals were a respectful 52nd against the run this season. The Gators make their game plan pretty clear and only pass when they have to. If Gillislee gets going then the Cardinals will be at the mercy of the Gators offense. In order to be successful against the Florida defense you have to have multiple dynamic players. Bridgewater alone won't be enough for Louisville and because of that the Gators should have their way.
Prediction: Florida 34, Louisville 17
Overall Record: 105-24
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