Athlon Sports Ranks Louisville Football 40th in the Country

We’re in the midst of sports Siberia, meaning speculative lists and rankings are what’s in. Athlon Sports recently put together it’s annual top 130 college football rankings.

There are lot of questions to answer for Bobby Petrino, his staff, and the Louisville football program, that can’t be ignored. Doing so would be naive and straight foolish (not that I think anyone is overlooking these questions). The Cards finished the season at 8-4 last season, with future first round picks Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander (he did miss the majority of the season), and moving on without them both will be a daunting task.

Replacing a former Heisman Trophy winner, and once in a generation talent, is something that doesn’t happen overnight. Petrino and his staff have recruited extremely well at the quarterback position, preparing for the inevitable. Landing a four star talent in Puma Pass, who looks to be the starting quarterback this season, was a huge win and has kept the program from taking a step back. Puma should be able to step right in and continue to keep the offensive productive.

However, the biggest lingering question, is how does new defensive coordinator (the third in three years) Brian VanGorder, replace nine starters on defense? The Cardinals have a sizable amount of unproven talent, and depth on that side of the ball, something we haven’t seen in a few years, which should help out quite a bit. But getting the most of that talent will be the most important part.

The Cardinals do have a plethora of offensive firepower returning, including their top three receivers, multiple young and hopefully healthy running backs, and several large and talented tight ends. Not to mention this should be the best offensive line Bobby Petrino has coached in his second stint with Louisville. Pass won’t have to worry about who he’s going to throw the ball to, or who is protecting him, allowing him to get settled into the offensive in year one.

With all that being said, the expectations for the Cards are all over the place. Though there is plenty of talent, there are more questions than answers at this point, and fans, and the media aren’t sure where to place the Cards in terms of win total.

I’ve seen as low as 5-7, 6-6, and as high as 9-3. Athlon Sports usually does a great job of pegging where a team should fit in the landscape of the national rankings, which is why I turned to them for this story.

How does Louisville football finish the 2018-19 season?
— Big Red Louie (@TheBigRedLouie) June 19, 2018

In their most recent top 130 rankings, Athlon Sports ranked Bobby Petrino and the Cards at 40.

Not too shabby, but of course not where you want to be in year five of Petrino 2.0.

Here’s what Athlon’s Steven Lassan had to say.

"“Life after Lamar Jackson won’t be easy, but Louisville’s offense isn’t likely to slip too far in 2018. Sophomore quarterback Jawon Pass is primed for a breakout year under coach Bobby Petrino, and the Cardinals return one of the ACC’s top receiving corps. Senior Jaylen Smith should be among the league’s top targets, with Seth Dawkins and Dez Fitzpatrick providing support. Pass will be protected by an improving offensive line, which includes rising star Mekhi Becton at right tackle. Dae Williams, Colin Wilson and Trey Smith should handle the bulk of the work at running back. Without Jackson, Louisville will likely ask more out of this position group after no running back accumulated more than 100 carries last fall. Similar to last season, the Cardinals will have to lean on their offense to win in 2018. The defense gave up 27.4 points a game, 5.6 yards a play and ranked near the bottom of the ACC in rush and pass defense. New coordinator Brian VanGorder inherits just two returning starters, but sophomore linebacker Dorian Etheridge and end Jon Greenard are potential All-ACC candidates. A couple of transfers could find their way into the two-deep this season to provide instant help. Louisville’s rebuilt defense and new quarterback will be tested right away with a matchup against Alabama in Orlando to start the year.”"

I can’t complain about the ranking of the Louisville football program. But what hurts is seeing Boston College one spot ahead of the Cards at #39. It’s almost like being stiff armed by AJ Dillon, all over again. Oh yeah, Wake Forest is ranked three spots ahead of the Cards at #37.

As mentioned there is so much up in the air regarding the defense, that it makes me worry about suffering losses similar to last season against Boston College, and Wake Forest. Could the Cards be better than the 40th team in the country? Yes, easily. But could they under perform that? Yes, easily.

Brian VanGorder has had a “year off” after being let go as the defensive coordinator for Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, and typically that leads coaches to prepare differently and become wiser in their next stop. The defense has plenty of talent, including two transfers on the outside in Rodjay Burns (Ohio State) and PJ Mbanasor (Oklahoma), who could easily become top notch starters in a new program.

Not to mention the defensive line has been reloaded with great size with the additions of Michael Boykin, Jared Goldwire, Jarrett Jackson, Allen Love and Demji Dumervil-Jean. With a healthy front four four, that leaves emerging pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, who finished with 7 sacks and 15.5 TFL last season, to get after opposing quarterbacks.

The safeties are all new, at least when it comes to starting, but Dee Smith, TreSean Smith (when healthy), Marlon Character, and Khane Pass all have the talent to help the Cards replace the production of Zykesis Cannon and Chucky Williams.

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Let’s also not forget the depth at linebacker. The starters are young, but led by an experienced Dorian Etheridge, who started all 13 games as a freshman, and led the team in tackles. PJ Blue, a redshirt sophomore, looks like a guy who could emerge from that unit, and incoming freshman Robert Hicks, who arrived for spring ball, should be able to start right away and produce as well.

While the Cards shouldn’t suffer from a “rebuilding” year, “reloading” could prove to be more difficult, especially with a schedule that features the defending National Champions, the defending runner-ups, a new look Florida State program, and the frustrating triple option offense of Georgia Tech. The Cards easily could pull out eight+ wins if they perform at their best, but could easily struggle to mesh all the new talent and fall to a six win program.

Ranked ahead of Louisville in Athlon’s top 130 rankings are five teams that they will go head-to-head with this season. Those teams include Alabama (1), Clemson (2), Florida State (13), NC State (33), Wake Forest (37), and Boston College (39). This is another reason to be a tad bit concerned about the record of the Cards this season.

With just a little over a month and a half before fall camp begins, expect plenty more lists, and plenty more questions being raised about a team that has a lot to prove this season. With a top heavy schedule, a lot of expectations being placed on the team, and a lot of new players replacing productive and star players, things will certainly get interesting this morning.

In one of the more anticipated games in Louisville football history, the Cards will travel down to Orlando to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on September 1st in the season opener. Alabama is currently being listed as a heavy favorite, with the line right around 29.5.

Next: Cards in Good Shape With Milton Wright