Kentucky had its streak of four consecutive winning seasons snapped when it went 5-6 last season. The Wildcats will be looking to open the 2021 campaign on a strong note when they host Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at Kroger Field. While the streak of winning seasons did come to an end, head coach Mark Stoops took his team to a bowl game for the fifth straight time. First-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen will be looking to improve a passing attack that has been the worst in the SEC over the last two seasons. The Warhawks, who finished 0-10 a year ago, brought in more than 50 new players under first-year head coach Terry Bowden.
Kickoff is set for noon ET. The Wildcats are 31-point favorites in the latest Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the total is set at 54. Before locking in any Louisiana-Monroe vs. Kentucky picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 1 of the 2021 season on a 57-37 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football odds for Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe:
- Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe spread: Kentucky -31
- Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe over-under: 54 points
What you need to know about the Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky will be starting Penn State transfer Will Levis at quarterback. He won a brief, three-man battle during training camp and has plenty of arm talent. Coen is bringing a scheme from his time with the Los Angeles Rams to Lexington, so Kentucky fans can expect a better effort on the offensive side of the field.
Levis is going to be working with senior wide receiver Josh Ali, who led the team in receiving last season. The Wildcats also added transfer Wan'dale Robinson from Nebraska and they return junior Keaton Upshaw. The offensive line returns three starters and should have no problem pushing Louisiana-Monroe around. Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Kavosiey Smoke return in the backfield.
What you need to know about the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Returning to the field after a rocky 0-10 season, Louisiana-Monroe has some rebuilding to do. Bowden is the team's new head coach, which is the third head coaching stint of his career. Son of the late Bobby Bowden, Terry coached Auburn for six years in the 90s before a seven-year stint at Akron from 2012-18.
One of Bowden's main objectives in taking over at Louisiana-Monroe was improving the running game that greatly contributed to 2020's winless season. The Warhawks ranked second-worst in the nation with 76.7 yards per game, and no single player topped 321 rushing yards. The top returning rusher is Isaiah Phillips, who ran for 110 yards on a 3.1 rushing average last season.
How to make Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe picks
The model has simulated Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that hits in 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Kentucky vs. Louisiana-Monroe? And which side of the spread hits 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college football picks.
