No. 16 SMU visits No. 23 Louisville on Saturday, September 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET, a ranked ACC matchup at Cardinal Stadium between two teams that have each already beaten a Power Four opponent this season.
Odds and Spread
SMU +4.5 | total 72.5
| Sportsbook | SMU spread | Louisville spread | Total | SMU ML | Louisville ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | +4.5 (-106) | -4.5 (-125) | |||
| DraftKings | +9.5 (+2800) | -9.5 (-10000) | 72.5 (+2600) | ||
| Fanatics | +9.5 (+165) | -9.5 (-235) | |||
| Caesars | +9.5 (-103) | -9.5 (-127) |
Lines from BALLDONTLIE and refreshed automatically. Numbers move, so confirm at your sportsbook before betting.
The line is the most interesting thing on this page: Louisville is favored despite being ranked seven spots below SMU. Home field explains part of it, and the market clearly rates Louisville’s three point loss to Ole Miss above SMU’s three point win at Florida State. The total is high, which fits two teams that have each given up points to the one good offense they faced.
Start Time, TV Channel and How to Watch
| Date | Saturday, September 19, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
| Streaming | ESPN app with a TV provider login once the window is assigned, or Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream |
| Rankings | SMU No. 16, Louisville No. 23 in the AP Top 25 |
| Stadium | L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky |
How Both Teams Got Here
SMU is 3-0 and the signature win came on a Monday night in Week 1, a 27-24 result at Florida State that moved the Mustangs into the rankings. They followed it with a 56-10 win over UC Davis in Week 2.
Louisville is 2-1. The Cardinals lost 41-38 to Ole Miss in Nashville to open the season, a three point loss to a team now ranked eighth, then beat Villanova 59-13 in Week 2. The Ole Miss result is the reason Louisville is ranked despite the loss.
What to Watch
Both teams can score and neither has proven it can stop anyone. SMU gave up 24 to Florida State and Louisville gave up 41 to Ole Miss, and the Week 2 blowouts came against overmatched opponents that tell us nothing. The likeliest version of this game is a shootout decided by whoever has the ball last.
The other angle is rest. Both teams played comfortable Week 2 games and got starters out early, so neither should be worn down. That makes this a fairly clean read on the two rosters, which is rare this early in the season.
Related
ACC standings · Louisville football score · AP Top 25 · ACC scores · College football scores
The Bottom Line
No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville kicks off Saturday, September 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET from Cardinal Stadium. SMU is 3-0 with a win at Florida State; Louisville’s only loss is by three to Ole Miss. The TV window has not been announced yet and this page will carry it once it is. The live odds table above updates automatically.