Louisville Football Set to Open Season on ABC in Prime Time against the Crimson Tide

Louisville football will have their toughest season opener in program history this year when they open with Alabama. We now know the time and network for the game.

We’ve known for quite some time now that Louisville football would open their 2018-19 season in Orlando against Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Labor Day weekend. We now know when that game will take place and who will be airing what looks to be Louisville’s biggest season opener in program history.

Coming off their 2018 National Championship, the Alabama Crimson Tide will once again open on ABC in the 8PM spot, this time against our very own Louisville Cardinals, according to a press release from the ACC.

Appearing in ESPN/ABC’s prime time spot on opening day weekend has been a mission for nearly every big-time college football program across the country, including Louisville. That game is typically reserved for the best game of the weekend, or at least the game featuring the best team in the country, and that’ll hold true in the 2018-19 season.

In each of the last six years Alabama has opened the season in a prime time viewing spot with power five schools, four of them against top 25 teams. During that stretch Nick Saban and company are 6-0, with the closest game coming against West Virginia in 2014, when they came within 10 points of pulling off the upset. Of the six teams that have matched up with the Crimson Tide, only two have scored more than 14 points.

At this point it appears it’s a long shot at best for Louisville to pull off an upset, as the team currently sits as a 29.5 point underdog for the September 1st matchup. Yikes.

However, that isn’t stopping the Cards from preparing for the game. Prior to the spring game Jake Lourim of the Courier Journal wrote about the season opener and the Cards mentality through spring practice, saying;

"“Mike Summers said that most of Louisville’s work this spring has been on its own development but that “certainly in the back of our mind, we know what’s in front of us and we’ve certainly put the work in the video room evaluating what’s coming.”"

The Cards have spent the spring preparing for what should be an interesting season, as Bobby Petrino and his staff are tasked with replacing several big time players on both sides of the ball, none more notable than former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and fellow first round pick Jaire Alexander. New Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder who replaced Peter Sirmon after just one season in Louisville, will be installing a new scheme, while simultaneously replacing nine starters.

Louisville will be returning 10 starters from last year’s team, including wide receiver’s Dez Fitzpatrick, Jaylen Smith, and Seth Dawkins, nearly the entire starting offensive line, as well as sophomore linebacker Dorian Etheridge and junior Jon Greenard.

Redshirt sophomore Jawon “Puma” Pass and National Championship hero Tua Tagovailoa will certainly be compared throughout the summer leading into the season opener as both players will be making their first career starts, assuming Jalen Hurts doesn’t regain his job after being replaced during the second quarter of Bama’s Title game.

“Certainly in the back of our mind, we know what’s in front of us and we’ve certainly put the work in the video room evaluating what’s coming.”

Saying Puma Pass will be “thrown into the fire” would be an absurd understatement. Though Alabama lost several key defensive stars, including first round selections Minkah Fitzpatrick, Da’Ron Payne, and Rashaan Evans, they do return four starters along with several contributors from last season, and of course a plethora of former four and five star players who have likely yet to step onto the field.

A keymatchup to watch in my opinion will be Louisville’s offensive line versus Alabama’s defensive front seven. UofL has had a shaky unit up front over the last several years, but under Mike Summer’s tutelage their was significant improvement last seaon. Louisville will return every starter, aside from third round pick Geron Christian, and several key backups. Star sophomore Mekhi Becton will likely be on the move to left tackle, where he will be respomsible for protecting the backside of Jawon Pass.

Alabama of course, has been known for their ability to overpower opposing offensive lines with their front seven. Though they lost a few starters, the Crimson Tide will reload and look as if they didn’t skip a beat. If Louisville can hold their own, and keep Pass upright, I would expect the redshirt sophomore to be able to have some success against a brand new Alabama secondary.

While the Cards will no doubt will show up to “win” their season opener, I think we can all agree that the likelihood of that happening is very bleak, but not impossible. Getting a better feel of which players are ready to step in and produce, and getting experience may end up being the more important take away than the actual score of the game.

Next: Louisville Recruiting Outlook: Defense

Go Cards!