Expectations should be higher for Louisville football

After years of climbing the ladder of college football success, are Louisville football fans becoming too complacent?

As a 51-yard kick sailed wide right and the game clock struck :00 in the fourth quarter, fans let out a cheer that was partially joy-filled, but mostly a sigh of relief.

Going into the 2018 season, most around the Louisville program expected the Cards to be 2-1- but no one expected it to come in this fashion.

For the third straight game, Louisville struggled to generate any sort of momentum on either side of the ball. For the second straight game, Puma Pass was pulled early in the game in favor of back up Malik Cunningham. And for the first time in a long time- maybe ever- fans (and possibly players) felt complete uncertainty about head coach Bobby Petrino’s ability to rein it in and form a competent game plan.

The crowd was noticeably quiet following the game. Win or lose, the mass exodus towards post-game tailgate on a Saturday evening is typically filled with chatter, and “C-A-R-D-S” chants ring through the night sky.

The parade out after the WKU squeaker was much more somber.

Social media was abuzz with everything from “fire bobby,” to “relax, we are 2-1, right where we thought we should be.”

However things play out for the rest of the season, there is one thing that needs to be discussed- not only for 2018, but going forward: Expectations.

Many have suggested that the expectations for Louisville football should be “7-8 wins” or to “contend for a conference title a couple of times a decade.” Those people should be asking themselves, though, how Louisville came to be in the position that they are in now.

How did it come to be that 8 wins was the expectation playing in the ACC conference, when three decades ago, fans were just content with Louisville fielding a team?

The answer is expectations.

The Schnellenberger Era

When Howard Schnellenberger took over the program in 1985, Louisville was literally giving away tickets in an attempt to get fans to attend games in old Cardinal Stadium. Schnellenberger created expectations.

At the time, the program was about the equivalent of Murray State or Indiana State today. Expectations were zero. Even then, however, Schnellenberger proclaimed that “this program is on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable is time.” Expectations set.

In his 9 seasons at Louisville “The Pipe” took the Cards from absolute irrelevancy to some outstanding seasons, and some national relevancy. In 1991, the Cards finished the season 10-1-1, beat Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked 11th in the country. Expectations met.

The Smith Era

After the Ron Cooper debacle- when Louisville replaced Schnellenberger with a horrifyingly bad head coach- the Cards turned to John L. Smith.

Smith took over a 1-win team, and set the expectations for a quick turn-around. The Cards answered the call, going 7-5 in 1998 and averaged 8.2 wins until Smith departed in 2002. Expectations met.

The Petrino Era- Act I

Enter Bobby Petrino. Expectations were high  in 2003 because he made them that way. Petrino was notorious for how anal he was during practices. He was a fierce competitor, and one of the sharpest offensive minds in all of football. It showed.

Petrino set the bar high for fans, taking the Cards to heights that Louisville hadn’t been to since the Schnellenberger era. The Cards averaged 10.25 wins per season in Petrino’s first tenure in Louisville, finished two season ranked in the top 7 in the AP Poll, and won their second BCS-level bowl game.

The Strong Era

In 2010, Charlie Strong brought a culture change to the program. After Steve Kragthorpe did the unthinkable and took the majority of pieces left over from the Orange Bowl team and didn’t make a bowl game for three seasons, Strong’s leadership was a step in the right direction.

Strong established a culture of discipline on and off the field, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Louisville went from complete chaos in 2009 to winning the Sugar Bowl in 2013, and 11 and 12-win seasons in his last two years.

Establishing the Right Expectations

If those around the Louisville football don’t know where to look going forward, look at the tone and expectations set by the program. How will the Cards perform? If history is an indicator, when expectations are set, Louisville is going to meet them.

The Cards have been climbing the rungs of the college football ladder for the good portion of three decades.

So, what should expectations be for Louisville football? One could surmise that competing, and being right in the thick of a conference title year in, and year out should be the expectations.

When you look at elite programs, there are a few things that every program HAS to have to make compete for power 5 conference titles, and ultimately national championships.

Great Coaching- From Nick Saban to Urban Meyer to Dabo Sweeney, this part is pretty obvious. Great programs start with outstanding leaders.

• Bobby Petrino is considered a top 10 coach by most. Before that was Charlie Strong, who is still one of the most respected names in college football.

Money- This goes almost hand-in-hand with some other aspects, but it is worth pointing out that big time donors, corporate sponsors, and backers of the program are the engines that propel the elite college football teams.

• Louisville has the money. They don’t have the big name boosters of a Texas, or the following of a Notre Dame, but they do have incredible backing from corporate sponsors.

Outstanding Facilities- The facilities are key. It is a constant battle to see who can have the biggest locker rooms, the fanciest weight rooms, team lounges, cafeterias, and so much more. The facility arms race is being won by teams like Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State, and we are seeing all of those teams rise to the top.

•  Louisville has the facilities. Never has that been more apparent than in 2018. Cardinal Stadium is THE premier college football stadium in the country. Players can enjoy some of- if not the nicest- facilities in the country with state of the art gym equipment, insane locker room digs, massive whirlpool tubs, plush team meeting rooms, lounges, and so much more in the largest chair back-only stadium in the country. Louisville is winning in this area.

Elite NFL-Level Talent- Obviously huge. The best teams have the best players. Again, the elite teams right now are so hard to beat because the players are bigger, smarter. faster, and stronger.

• The Cards are sending players to the NFL at one of the highest clips in the country. Louisville has had 31 players drafted in the last 10 years, and that number figures to continue to climb in the years to come.

High Expectations- The best teams have the highest expectations. Notre Dame, Texas, and USC are guaranteed to at least be competitive each year simply because that is what is expected. Washington has been in the mix for the last 3 or 4 years, but expectations in Washington are slightly different than those at Ohio State.

Louisville seems to check nearly every box on that list. Except for expectations. Why is that though?

Possibly the best explanation for tempered expectations is a sheer appreciation for how far the Louisville program has come. Given that the program shared what amounted to a concrete death trap with a minor league baseball team when Clinton was in office, it’s hard to be hard on a team while sipping happy hour beers on the party deck.

However, one thing that remains the same is the need for expectations. When you take your eye off the prize, a Cooper or a Kragthorpe happens.

Should Louisville fans be calling for Bobby Petrino’s head coming off of three straight 8+ win seasons? Probably not.

But not all wins are created equal.

Losing 14-6 going into the fourth quarter against a horrifyingly bad Western Kentucky team is not the same as scoring three touchdowns in five plays against Syracuse in 2016. Do they both count as a win? Sure. But, let’s not kid ourselves about the direction that this Louisville program is heading in.

Should there be a little more slack provided now that the Cards are in the ACC- a top 3 football conference year in and year out? Absolutely. But the fact remains that the Cards have not beaten a ranked team save the shellacking of Florida State three years ago.

Louisville should be competing every year with the big boys. When you look at the two best programs in the ACC, FSU and Clemson, Louisville is not far off from what they have. They have the facilities, they have the coaching, a growing fan base, an increasing amount of NFL talent, and more.

The resources are there for Louisville. The Cards should be expected to be in the mix yearly; not just sometimes.

It’s time for Louisville to move up that next rung of the college football ladder. It’s time to stop being complacent with only beating “lesser” competition and struggling with most everyone else.

Louisville has the pieces to be an elite program. Like Howard Schnellenberger said to a group of skeptical media members 33 years ago, Louisville is on a collision course with a national championship. The Cards will get there one day. The only variable truly is time.

Raise your expectations, Cards fans, and success will come with time.