TCU at LOUISVILLE

TCU, 4-4 SU and 2-6 ATS, was idle last week after losing 21-10 at Cincinnati on Oct. 30. That loss dropped the Horned Frogs to just 1-3 straight-up and 0-4 against the number on the highway this season.

TCU is just 1-8-1 against the number in its last 10 road games. It has, though, scored the spread win in seven of its last 10 regular season road finales.

Last year, the Horned Frogs won their first 10 games and were ranked as high as sixth in the BCS standings. This season, TCU hasn’t won back-to-back games since recording victories over visiting Northwestern and SMU in the first two contests of the year. The Horned Frogs, who have gone to a bowl the past six seasons, need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible.

The TCU defense has struggled at times this year and is ranked 94th in yards allowed at 425 per game, and 99th in points allowed at 34 per contest. Still, TCU has stayed under the posted total in three of its last four lined games.

Quarterbacks Brandon Hassell and Tye Gunn have both been banged up this year and have shared the duties under center. Both Gunn (knee) and Hassell (ankle) are expected to be ready for tonight’s game. Whoever has been barking out the signals, the results have been good as the Horned Frogs average 34 points and 434 yards of offense per game.

The Horned Frogs have won and covered the pass three meetings. In 2001 and 2002, they covered by 23 ½ and 25 ½ points respectively. Last year, Louisville was a two-point dog, but lost 31-28 as its 44-yard field goal hit the crossbar as time ran out. Each of those three clases went over the posted total.

Louisville, which is playing on a short week, failed to cover for the first time this year in last Thursday’s 56-49 win at Memphis. The Cardinals, 6-1 SU and ATS moved up to No. 12 in the Associated Press rankings this week, its highest-ever ranking.

The Cards are 17-7 straight-up when they’re ranked, but one of those losses came three years ago when 17th-ranked Louisville lost 37-22 at TCU as an 8½-point chalk.

Thanks to racking up 599 offensive yards against Memphis last week, Louisville remains ranked first in the country in total offense at 519 yards per game. Quarterback Stefan LeFors has the nation’s second-best passer rating at 172.2.

Louisville, which controls its own destiny in the Conference-USA race after Southern Miss was stomped by Cincinnati last Saturday, has won and covered all three of its games this year at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium with wins over Kentucky, East Carolina and South Florida.

The Cards, who are 5-1 SU/ATS in their last six home games dating back to last season, have played over the total in three of their last four games this year.