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Monday's only college football matchup will feature an ACC vs. SEC showdown. The Louisville Cardinals are set to take on Ole Miss as the Week 1 college football schedule reaches its conclusion on Labor Day. Both teams have plenty of scoring potential, and oddsmakers think a high-scoring matchup is likely coming in Atlanta. In 12 of Louisville's last 16 games, the total has gone over. Fans could be in for a barn burner, even with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin missing this one due to a positive COVID-19 test.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Rebels as nine-point favorites in the latest Ole Miss vs. Louisville odds. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas expects, is down to 74.5. Before finalizing 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 -9
  • Louisville vs. Ole Miss over-under: 74.5 points
  • Louisville vs. Ole Miss money line: Rebels -350, Cardinals +280
  • 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

Ole Miss's abysmal defense could open up the door for Louisville to make this matchup interesting. The Rebels are elite on offense, but allowed opposing teams to score an average of 39.2 points per game last season. Only 10 FBS programs had worse scoring defenses in 2020. Dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham seems poised to take a step forward in his development, and he has a solid defense behind him that's limited quality teams from running the score up.

Louisville had a top-50 scoring defense in 2020 and is bringing back enough starters to field another strong squad. If the Cardinals can lock in on defense like when they held Notre Dame to 14 points on the road last season, they'll have a great chance to cover. 

Why Ole Miss can cover

Ole Miss was a machine on offense last year as Kiffin's first year with the program was largely a success. And while he won't be on the sideline Monday, his fingerprints will be all over the game plan. The Rebels' offense ranked third in yards per game (555) and 14th in points (39.2) last season. Matt Corral doesn't have Elijah Moore anymore, but the Ole Miss quarterback can still be dominant after completing more than 70 percent of his passes and throwing 29 touchdown passes as a sophomore in 2020.

Louisville's defense is respectable, but Ole Miss cleared 34 points against multiple top-10 programs last season. The Cardinals gave up nearly 30 points per game on the road last season, and that trend very well could carry over to the neutral setting. 

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.