This week's picks

Stanford vs. Louisville Prediction and Pick, Week 9 2026

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Data updatedOct 31, 2026
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Picks two teams at random. Any FBS team can come up.

How we picked it

How we picked it

Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.

Where the game is won

Where the game is won

Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.

Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.

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Stanford at Louisville

Week 9, Sat, Oct 31, 3:15 PM ET, L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

The numbers say: Louisville, 97% to win.

The game

KickoffSat, Oct 31, 3:15 PM ET
TVACC Network
WhereL&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
Weather70°, overcast, wind 6 mph
LineLouisville −22.5, total 60.5
Line movementOpened Louisville −21; moved 1.5 points toward Louisville. Total opened 61.5, down 1.
SeriesStanford leads 1–0
Last meetingStanford 38–35 in 2024

The ratings and the line

MarginWin chanceTotal
SP+Louisville by 25.597%65
PRIMELouisville by 23.295%
EloLouisville97%
The lineLouisville −22.5, opened −2160.5, opened 61.5

Margins include home field. SP+ is Bill Connelly's rating; Sources has PRIME and Elo. Line and total from DraftKings, as of Fri, Oct 30, 7:43 PM ET.

Who wins, Stanford or Louisville?

The numbers say: Louisville. 96% chance to win

Which matchups decide Stanford vs. Louisville?

All three ratings favor Louisville, by 23.2 to 25.5 points, and it isn't close. Louisville's best matchup is its run game, 1st in yards per carry, against Stanford's run defense at 124th. Stanford's way back in is its offense, 53rd in yards per play, against Louisville's defense at 93rd. We left out the edges built on McCoy, who's out.

Stanford with the ball

Louisville with the ball

Who's out for Stanford and Louisville?

Stanford

Louisville

How Stanford and Louisville compare, in charts

Each chart puts all 138 FBS teams on two stats; Stanford and Louisville are lit. Dashed lines are the FBS averages, and up and right is better. Ranks in parentheses. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How Stanford's and Louisville's players compare

The scatter charts show the top 40 FBS players at the position by both stats combined, plus the players lit here. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better. Ranks are among every FBS player at the position with enough snaps. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How do SP+, PRIME and Elo rate Stanford and Louisville?

On a neutral field, SP+ has Louisville 23.0 points better (25th to 112th). PRIME also has Louisville ahead, by 20.7. Elo, which only sees results, also has Louisville ahead (29th to 127th).

StanfordLouisville
SP+ overall-10.8 (112th)12.2 (25th)
SP+ offense22.0 (106th)37.7 (6th)
SP+ defense32.3 (114th)25.4 (61st)
SP+ special teams-0.5 (124th)-0.1 (80th)
PRIME net-8.5 (102nd)12.2 (20th)
PRIME offense-2.74 (89th)9.81 (16th)
PRIME defense-5.70 (112th)2.80 (46th)
PRIME SOS1.7 (29th)2.4 (19th)
PRIME SOR0.3 (59th)0.9 (44th)
Elo1157 (127th)1713 (29th)

Opponent-adjusted power ratings. These drive the projection.

Who's better once you adjust for the schedule?

Stanford's offense ranks 84th in adjusted EPA per play, and the Louisville defense it faces ranks 52nd in EPA per play allowed. Louisville's offense ranks 18th against Stanford's 135th-ranked defense. The matchup that decides it is Louisville's offense against Stanford's defense. The biggest edge on the board is Louisville's big plays: 1st in adjusted explosiveness, against Stanford's 136th-ranked defense. That's a mismatch. Adjust for opponents and Stanford's offense falls from 50th to 84th in EPA per play: a lot of that came against soft defenses.

StanfordLouisville
EPA per play (adjusted)+0.07 (84th)+0.20 (18th)
EPA per pass (adjusted)+0.17 (80th)+0.27 (24th)
EPA per rush (adjusted)+0.01 (118th)+0.12 (28th)
Success rate (adjusted)37.7% (121st)44.7% (34th)
Success rate, standard downs (adjusted)46.0% (82nd)49.7% (31st)
Success rate, passing downs (adjusted)26.0% (130th)31.0% (59th)
Explosiveness (adjusted)0.91 (117th)1.02 (1st)
Line yards per carry (adjusted)2.86 (100th)2.73 (128th)
Open-field yards per carry (adjusted)0.94 (124th)1.89 (1st)
EPA per play allowed (adjusted)+0.25 (135th)+0.07 (52nd)
EPA per pass allowed (adjusted)+0.33 (135th)+0.22 (89th)
EPA per rush allowed (adjusted)+0.19 (136th)+0.03 (39th)
Success rate allowed (adjusted)47.4% (131st)40.7% (52nd)
Explosiveness allowed (adjusted)0.99 (136th)0.89 (4th)
Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted)3.18 (125th)3.03 (92nd)
Open-field yards allowed per carry (adjusted)1.32 (115th)1.01 (36th)

The same efficiency numbers, adjusted for the offenses and defenses each team has faced (CollegeFootballData.com). A good number against a soft schedule shrinks; one against a hard schedule grows.

Who's more efficient, Stanford or Louisville?

Stanford is better throwing (49th in EPA per pass) than running (96th). Louisville's pass defense ranks 105th, so that's an edge. Louisville is about as good throwing (15th in EPA per pass) as running (14th). On third down, Louisville has the edge: its offense ranks 14th in EPA per third-down play, and the defense it faces ranks 134th.

StanfordLouisville
EPA per play+0.18 (50th)+0.32 (7th)
EPA per pass+0.28 (49th)+0.43 (15th)
EPA per rush+0.04 (96th)+0.23 (14th)
EPA per 3rd-down play+0.36 (93rd)+0.73 (14th)
EPA per play allowed+0.31 (136th)+0.10 (73rd)
EPA per pass allowed+0.36 (118th)+0.29 (105th)
EPA per rush allowed+0.30 (136th)0.00 (46th)
EPA per 3rd-down play allowed+0.74 (134th)+0.28 (35th)

Expected points added per play, from CollegeFootballData.com. EPA measures how much each play changes the points a team can expect from the drive. Zero is break-even; +0.20 is very good. Not adjusted for opponents.

Who scores more, Stanford or Louisville?

Stanford is outscored by 15.6 a game, and Louisville by 11.3. Stanford's offense ranks 125th in scoring, and the Louisville defense it faces ranks 99th in points allowed. Louisville's offense ranks 11th against Stanford's 132nd-ranked defense. The matchup that decides it is Louisville's offense against Stanford's defense.

StanfordLouisville
Points scored19.9 (125th)38.7 (11th)
Points allowed35.5 (132nd)27.4 (99th)

Per game, FBS opponents only.

Which offense has the edge?

Stanford's best matchup is third downs: its offense ranks 48th in 3rd down conversion rate, and Louisville's defense ranks 77th in 3rd down conversions allowed. Louisville's best matchup is its run game: its offense ranks 1st in yards per carry, and Stanford's defense ranks 124th in yards per carry allowed. That's a mismatch.

StanfordLouisville
Pass yards / game245.9 (52nd)269.8 (31st)
Rush yards / game127.8 (117th)247.7 (7th)
Yards per play6.37 (53rd)7.98 (2nd)
Yards per carry4.65 (107th)7.70 (1st)
Yards per attempt8.30 (43rd)8.70 (30th)
Completion %71.3% (22nd)58.6% (90th)
Success rate43.5% (73rd)48.1% (28th)
Explosive play rate10.9% (101st)17.7% (2nd)
3rd down conversion44.0% (48th)41.7% (61st)
Sack rate (taken)4.8% (53rd)5.1% (62nd)
INT rate (thrown)1.3% (25th)1.6% (38th)
SUPLEX54.1% (85th)70.3% (4th)

Per game and per play, from play-by-play.

Which defense has the edge?

Louisville's defense is best placed to stop the run: it ranks 63rd in yards per carry allowed, and Stanford's offense is bottom-40 in yards per carry (107th).

StanfordLouisville
Pass yards allowed / game265.9 (125th)259.2 (122nd)
Rush yards allowed / game193.6 (118th)161.3 (87th)
Yards per play allowed6.35 (102nd)6.21 (93rd)
Yards per carry allowed5.89 (124th)4.70 (63rd)
Yards per attempt allowed6.86 (57th)8.45 (110th)
Success rate allowed45.1% (103rd)43.6% (89th)
Explosive plays allowed14.2% (119th)11.6% (80th)
3rd downs allowed41.1% (90th)39.2% (77th)
Sack rate (generated)1.9% (137th)8.0% (28th)
INT rate (generated)1.0% (132nd)3.3% (39th)
SUPLEX allowed60.6% (111th)58.9% (102nd)

What opponents managed against them.

Who wins up front?

They split these evenly, 6 each. The biggest gap is open-field yards per carry, where Louisville ranks 1st and Stanford 118th.

StanfordLouisville
Big Uglies: offensive line50.1 (71st)39.9 (131st)
Big Uglies: defensive front36.6 (136th)47.7 (87th)
Line yards per carry2.91 (95th)2.72 (118th)
Line yards allowed per carry3.38 (128th)3.08 (96th)
Second-level yards per carry0.89 (125th)1.24 (27th)
Open-field yards per carry0.74 (118th)3.09 (1st)
Stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line)21.2% (110th)23.7% (131st)
Stuff rate (defense)14.3% (124th)12.5% (133rd)
Power success (short yardage)81.3% (20th)65.5% (108th)
Power success allowed76.7% (105th)61.4% (19th)
Front-seven havoc allowed7.0% (21st)12.6% (130th)
Front-seven havoc6.6% (132nd)8.2% (105th)

The lines. Big Uglies is our rating for each offensive line and each defensive front: adjusted line yards (30%), stuff rate (20%), power success (15%), sack rate (20%) and front-seven havoc (15%), against every FBS team. 50 is average, and every 10 points is a standard deviation. Line stats from CollegeFootballData.com, garbage time out.

Who wins the turnover battle?

Louisville is +0.7 in turnover margin a game and Stanford is −0.1. At about five points a turnover, that's roughly a 4-point edge for Louisville. Turnover margin rarely holds from one month to the next, so don't count on it.

StanfordLouisville
Interceptions thrown / game0.43 (25th)0.43 (25th)
Fumbles lost / game0.43 (53rd)0.43 (53rd)
Giveaways / game0.86 (25th)0.86 (25th)
Interceptions / game0.43 (105th)1.00 (22nd)
Fumbles recovered / game0.29 (94th)0.57 (51st)
Takeaways / game0.71 (118th)1.57 (28th)
Turnover margin / game-0.1 (77th)+0.7 (17th)

Per game, from play-by-play.

Which team has more talent?

Louisville has the more talented roster (41st in the 247Sports talent composite; Stanford is 50th). Louisville also plays further above its talent: +8.1 points of SP+ beyond what its roster predicts, to Stanford's −13.5.

StanfordLouisville
Talent composite705.8 (50th)728.6 (41st)
Blue-chip ratio11.6% (62nd)25.7% (32nd)
Players on roster112 (58th)102 (128th)
Rated by 247Sports95 (10th)74 (84th)
5-star players0 (37th)0 (37th)
4-star players11 (53rd)19 (35th)
3-star players81 (5th)53 (99th)
Below 3-star3 (53rd)2 (68th)
2026 transfers in6 (133rd)34 (21st)
Transfer share6.3% (134th)45.9% (24th)
SP+ vs. talent-13.5 (130th)+8.1 (25th)
Returning production21.3% (96th)34.8% (82nd)
Returning passing production-1.2% (121st)0.0% (109th)
Returning rushing production134.6% (8th)84.6% (34th)
Returning receiving production31.2% (80th)18.2% (106th)
2026 recruiting class (national rank)37 (37th)48 (48th)
Recruiting rank, last four classes42.2 (41st)51.2 (51st)

247Sports team talent composite and 2026 transfer portal class. Star counts cover only the players 247Sports rates, not walk-ons, so they add up to less than the full roster. Ranks are out of all 138 FBS teams.

Which roster costs more?

Louisville's roster is valued at $21.6M, Stanford's at $17.8M. Louisville also plays better per dollar: +5.3 points of SP+ above what its payroll predicts, to −13.5 for Stanford.

StanfordLouisville
Roster value$17.8M (66th)$21.6M (40th)
Roster cost per win$4.5M (22nd)$5.4M (34th)
Projected wins per $1M0.15 (67th)0.39 (11th)
SP+ vs. payroll-13.5 (70th)+5.3 (15th)

NIL roster value from The NIL Standard (power-conference teams plus Boise State and Oregon State). Ranks are out of 70 teams with a valuation.

Where did each team's wins come from?

Stanford is 0.0 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is luck (+1.8). Louisville is +0.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is coaching (+1.3). Stanford's record is running 1.8 wins ahead of its play on luck alone, so it's not as good as the record says.

StanfordLouisville
RECEIPTS (total)0.0 (82nd)+0.5 (57th)
Schedule RECEIPTS-0.5 (111th)-0.5 (111th)
Roster RECEIPTS+0.2 (56th)+0.5 (39th)
Coach RECEIPTS-1.5 (124th)+1.3 (18th)
Luck RECEIPTS+1.8 (2nd)-0.8 (115th)

Where the wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. Then each win (or loss) goes to the schedule, the roster, the coaching or luck, and the four add up to the real record. Wins above or below a .500 team.

Stanford at Louisville: questions people ask

Stanford vs. Louisville prediction: who will win?

The numbers pick Louisville, 96% chance to win. All three ratings favor the same team. Louisville's best matchup is its run game, 1st in yards per carry, against Stanford's run defense at 124th.

Where can I watch Stanford vs. Louisville, and what time is it?

Sat, Oct 31, 3:15 PM ET at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. It's on ACC Network.

What's the projected score of Stanford vs. Louisville?

SP+ projects Louisville 45–20. That's from this season's SP+ offense, defense and special teams ratings, with home field worth 2.5 points.

What's the line for Stanford at Louisville?

DraftKings has Louisville −22.5, total 60.5. The numbers pick winners, not bets.

What's the Stanford vs. Louisville series history?

Stanford leads 1–0. Last meeting: Stanford won 38–35 in 2024.

Who are the players to watch in Stanford vs. Louisville?

Stanford: Davis Warren (1,947 passing yards), Micah Ford (679 rushing yards) and Caden High (446 receiving yards). Louisville: Lincoln Kienholz (1,864 passing yards), Isaac Brown (561 rushing yards) and McCoy (513 receiving yards). Season totals through Oct 24, 2026.

Who are the quarterbacks in Stanford at Louisville?

Stanford's is Davis Warren (1,947 passing yards this season); Louisville's is Lincoln Kienholz (1,864 passing yards this season).

More on this game

Numbers through the games of Oct 24, 2026. SP+ as of Oct 27, 2026. Updated every week.

Stanford and Louisville: team pages with every stat and national rank. Compare any two teams.