How Miami can bounce back vs. Louisville

The ACC title game is not yet decided, though Florida State will represent one half of the title-game matchup. Can Louisville snag the other spot?

The Cardinals are currently in the driver’s seat, at 6-1 in the conference and needing only a win over Miami to seal the deal.

But at least On3’s experts aren’t quite ready to throw in the towel on Miami despite an up-and-down season in Mario Cristobal‘s second year in charge of the program. Sold enough to pick the upset, though?

“We’re thinking about it really, really hard, especially how hard Miami pushed Florida State the week before,” On3’s JD PicKell said on the Andy Staples On3 show. “There’s kind of this thought of, ‘How do you circle the wagons and did you empty the tank against your rival?’ But Louisville didn’t look that impressive against Virginia.”

Miami certainly looked the part against Florida State, eventually falling 27-20 but not before giving the Seminoles a significant scare.

Can the Hurricanes rally again for another big game or did the previous attempt to rally for a big game take it out of them? The Hurricanes have lost two straight games, though both were on the road.

Will a homestand help upend Louisville?

“I think to me it does come down to Jamari Thrash and his effectiveness for Louisville,” PicKell said. “When he’s on and when they’re feeding him accordingly, like one of the most explosive players in the country. So that can kind of be the differentiator. He can be their Marvin Harrison Jr. against Penn State in that game.”

Thrash has been one of the best receivers in the country this season, averaging 15.0 yards per catch. He has logged 49 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories.

Whether he’ll be enough to guide Louisville down the stretch to that coveted ACC title game berth remains to be seen.

On3’s experts seem to be expecting a tough game against Miami.

Louisville and Miami will square off at noon ET on ABC on Saturday, a matchup that should have plenty of eyes on it on an otherwise relatively quiet weekend for college football.