The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host Louisville Saturday, and this game will feature two of college football's better defenses. The Irish haven't impressed on defense in recent games however, and I like the Cardinal as the underdog in what figures to be a close game.

Here are my keys to the game:
1. Injuries - The loss of Senior linebacker Joe Schmidt was a tough one for the Irish, and it's not surprising that they have given up 98 points in back-to-back losses.

2. Cardinals Defense - Louisville is coming off an impressive road win at Boston College, and they terrorized dual-threat QB Tyler Murphy. He was picked off four times, throwing for just 149 yards and a TD on 7-of-15 passing. He didn't do a lot of damage on the ground either, picking up 41 yards on 12 carries. That doesn't bode well for Everett Golson.

3. X-Factor - The Cardinals are 17-4 ATS in their last 21 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.

Selection: This is a play on the Louisville Cardinals (10*)