2008 Louisville Cardinals
Written July 15, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Here is a look at the 2008 Louisville Cardinals football predictions thanks to professional handicapper Jason Lowry. The Cardinals really struggled last season finishing just 6-6 overall, and were able to only go 3-4 in conference play. Cardinal fans suffered having to watch the bowl games without their team playing in one of them for the first time in years, and now its all about getting back. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe will have to work some magic with only 9 starters coming back in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. Lets take a look at what the Cardinals will be bringing to the field on both sides of the ball this season.
Offense:
Only 4 starters come back here, and the team is really going to feel the loss of quarterback Brian Brohm who is now in the NFL. It looks like senior Hunter Cantwell will get the shot at being a one year star at the position, and we think he has the talent to do just that. The Cardinals bring back plenty of depth at the running back position, but it looks like senior Brock Bolen will get the heavy load of the carries in 2008. Making things a little tougher on Canwell is that the team must replace all 3 starters at wide receiver and a new tight end as well. It looks like they will turn to juniors Maurice Clark and Scott Long and redshirt freshman Josh Chichester at the 3 receiver spots, while junior Rocky Keys takes over at tight end. The offensive line does bring back 3 starters and should be a solid unit this season. Senior center Eric Wood is as good as it gets in the Big East and senior left tackle George Bussey isn’t far behind. The team is looking at two sophomores at the open spots in Mark Wetterer at right guard and Jeff Adams at the right tackle spot.
Defense:
Things get a little better here as the Cardinals brings back 5 starters, but that still leaves a lot of spots to fill for the upcoming season. The defensive line is likely going to be the strength of this unit, as they bring back 3 starters from last season, and the duo at defensive tackle in Adrian Grady and Earl Heyman is one of the best in the Big East. The team will need to find 3 new starters at line backer, and it looks like juniors Chris Campa and Jon Dempsey will take over on the outside, while senior James Bryant is the man in the middle. The Cardinals secondary brings back 2 starters that can get the job done in senior corner Woody Turenne and senior strong safety Bobby Buchanan. There is high hopes on sophomore free safety Latarrius Thomas, and junior Chaz Thompson should be okay at the other corner spot.
Prediction: 7th in the Big East
Before you start saying how can you pick the Cardinals to finish 2nd to last in the Big East, take a look at the teams in this conference and what they are bringing back this season. The Cardinals bring back the fewest starters of any team in the conference, but we haven’t ruled out that this team can make a bowl game next season. They will need to take care of business in their non-conference schedule and play well at home in conference play.
We are nearing the end of our 2008 NCAA football preview and predictions, and its only a matter of time before we start our NFL Predictions. For those of you looking for a great place to do your football betting this season, head over to Sportsbook.com today and take advantage of their great start up deals.