Since the spring game, the football itch has started to spread. As we are reading and talking more and more about this upcoming football season, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the schedule and rank each and every game.
One of the knocks on last year’s season was a uninspiring schedule especially at home. That combined with some lackluster performances really took a toll on game attendance.
Looking forward to this coming schedule and the game we have at home it is going to be hard to have the same complaints. We have a good combination of top tier opponents, new conference foes, and lots of home games including our rival.
The criteria I used for this ranking is a secret scientific formula that I keep in my head. It looks at the opponent we face first and foremost but it also takes into consideration location, game time, TV networks, and the history/rivalry with the matchups. Without further ado, we present this list from worst to first.
2018 Louisville Football Schedule
12) SYRACUSE November 9th, 7PM @Syracuse ESPN2
There is little to look forward to in this game. It’s in New York in November and Louisville completely blew them out last year at home. I’m not sold that Dino Babers is the answer to the Orange’s recent football woes. I expect this game to be won pretty handily again, as long as the Cards can handle the uptempo offense that has given them some trouble in the past. The good news is that it’s a 7 PM kick off on a Friday night and it is on a national network.
11) BOSTON COLLEGE October 13, TBA @BC TBA
I can’t believe I am saying this but the best thing to look forward to in this game is revenge. Yes, the team that has been the laughing stock of the ACC in both football and basketball the last few years so how, some way came into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and beat us. That was the point last year when I realized the team wasn’t going to be all that special. In was an inexcusable loss and the only way to respond is with a blowout. Also this game is away and the time is TBA so since its BC this probably another noon kickoff.
Hopefully, we can get that bad taste out of our mouths with a convincing win. BC does have a dominant running back in AJ Dillon, who torched the Cards for 272 yards and 4 touchdowns.. If you needed a reminder of why this is a big game, our friend Chucky Williams had this happen.
10) WAKE FOREST October 27, TBA Home TBA
Ever since the playbook scandal, this gave has almost had a bit of a budding rivalry feel to it. Not that I want Wake Forest to be a rival because I think were on another level but just some animosity since we’ve been in the ACC. And this year that has inched up another notch because they beat us last year. In fact, they had that game in hand the whole time. I hate that we have all these chances at revenge this year from mediocre ACC teams but that’s exactly what this game is. It is at home so there should be no reason not to straighten up the series record here.
9) VIRGINIA September 22, TBA @UVA TBA
This is another road game against a mediocre conference foe that will likely end up being a noon kick off. While we handle business pretty well last year, we seem to have a lot of close games that shouldn’t be close games with Virginia. Another factor that I can’t block out with this game is that I hate Virginia. This is mostly due to their fans and the basketball team completely owning us for years and oh yeah the 5 point comeback in .9 seconds that will haunt me until I die. From now on I want little more than to pulverize Virginia in every game, in every sport imaginable.
8) WESTERN KENTUCKY September 15, 7:30PM Home RSN
Now we start to get into the fun part of the schedule. This should be such a fun game for multiple reasons. There are a ton of WKU grads in and around the Louisville area, the Hilltoppers have been a good football team in recent years, and technically Bobby gets to face his former team. Even though the game will be on the dreaded Regional Sports Network, this is a home game that fans should be wanting to go to and I think attendance will be pretty high.
7) NC STATE November 17, TBA Home TBA
NC State had kind of a breakout year last year and there are some people that think they can be a fringe top 25 team again. This is one of those years where the schedule lines up right to have 8 home games and if we want to have a successful year, we need to take advantage of games like this at home against good but beatable opponents. Not to mention this is another revenge game from last year when they pretty much controlled the entire game.
6) GEORGIA TECH October 5 , 7PM Home ESPN
I really wanted to rank this game even higher but once you see what is in front of this you will understand. This season will our fifth in the ACC, but with the way the rotating Coastal game is scheduled this will be our first matchup against Georgia Tech. In fact, it will be the first ever matchup between these two teams. It will be fun to see a brand new conference opponent at home, especially one that runs a unique triple option offense.
5) KENTUCKY November 24, TBA Home TBA
It doesn’t take much to look forward to a game against your in state rival and this season is no different. However, it’s technically been 4 years since we’ve beat them at home. That’s just unacceptable. Not to bring up the epic collapse of the 2016 season, but we can’t let the Wildcats ever come into PJCS and do that again. Can we agree on that? Good. Hopefully this ends up being a night game and we can look forward to keeping them from a bowl game again.
4) INDIANA STATE September 8, 7PM Home ACC Network Extra
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Indiana State is not the quality of opponent that one might think would be one of the best four games on the schedule, but hear me out. This has nothing to do with the opponent and everything to do with location. This will be the hope opener and the unveiling of the new stadium expansion. I would argue it has been since the opening of PJCS that I have been this excited just to see what the stadium will look like.
Sure, we had an expansion before but that just added some seats up on one side. This completely changes everything. Not just having more fans, but filling in the bowl. It’s going to look different, it’s going to sound different, and it’s going to feel different. I can’t wait to see how the players run on the field and to see pictures from the new field boxes.
3) FLORIDA STATE September 29, TBA Home TBA
Something crazy to keep in mind about this game is the fact that Florida State will be attempting to keep Louisville from advancing their consecutive win streak to 3. I know Florida State had a rough year last year due to the injury of Deiondre Francois, but they are still a huge brand name in college footbal, and should have some renewed energy due to the hiring of Willie Taggart from Oregon. We’ve had good success against them at home and while we may not ever stomp them as bad as we did on College Gameday, we need to take advantage of this rebuilding time as it will likely be brief. With new head coach Willie Taggert, it will be interesting to see the direction he takes this team in after having so much success under Jimbo Fisher.
2) CLEMSON November 3, TBA @Clemson TBA
We’ve come so close before. Clemson is the ACC powerhouse that we have yet to topple and while they have been a powerhouse recently, many of the early preseason rankings have them #1 in the nation. We will never get to an ACC championship game without slaying this dragon so until that happens this will always be one of if not the top game to look forward to on the schedule every year. Clemson lost a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball last season, but returns QB Kelly Bryant, along with their entire defensive line. This game will be tough for the Cards, but not impossible to pull out.
1) ALABAMA September 1, 8PM Orlando, FL ABC
Alabama is in a class all their own. I have been looking forward to this game since the announcement from what seems like about 7 years ago. I don’t care how big of an underdog Vegas thinks we are, this matchup is what we have been working towards. The move to the ACC, the opening and expanding of stadiums, if we want to be at the big boy table we need to face the big boys. What a way to open the season. We’re talking Opening day, holiday weekend, primetime, ABC against the arguably the best dynasty ever. I am getting excited just writing about this game.
These two teams haven’t matched up since we upset them in the Fiesta Bowl in 1991. And that got me thinking what if? What if, just like the Fiesta Bowl everyone counted the Cardinals out and we shock the world. This game has the potential to be one of those program changing wins and those aren’t always on the schedule. Lets enjoying it while we can.
Conclusion
This is setting up to be one of the most exciting schedule in recent memory. With the preseason top 2 programs, stadium expansion opening, Kentucky at home, and 8 home games overall we all have a lot to look forward to.