Louisville football: 3 locks and 3 bold predictions vs. Florida State

Javian Hawkins #10 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Javian Hawkins #10 of the Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Saturday’s matchup between Louisville football and Florida State will be one of the more interesting games since the Cards joined the ACC. We have three locks and three bold predictions for UofL.

Scott Satterfield and the Louisville football program have a great chance to earn the first “statement” win of the season this weekend when they travel on the road to play Florida State – even if this isn’t the same Seminoles team we’ve been used to seeing through the years.

Starting 2-1 is a big accomplishment in and of itself, as no one really knew what to expect from a Louisville team that had so much “new” this offseason. Through three games, we’ve seen a new identity established under Scott Satterfield that includes running the football at a very high level of productivity, sound tackling and fundamentals on defense, and playing tough and together at all times.

Florida State, a program that has been one of the most successful over the last 10 to 15 years, is coming into Saturday’s game with quite a bit on the line.

In his first season as the Seminoles head coach, Willie Taggart looked to be overwhelemd with the challenges of fixing the issues that former head coach Jimbo Fisher left behind in Tallahassee after leaving for Texas A&M.

Despite returning plenty of talent, including a former Heisman hopeful at quarterback in Deondre Francois, Florida State looked like a shell of themselves. They lost games no on expected, oftentimes had no identity or direction on the field,  and overall looked lost.

Their 5-7 record meant the snapping of a 36-year streak of appearing in a postseason bowl game.

This season, the Seminoles enter their match-up with the Cardinals staring a second bowl-less year in the face after a 1-2 start in which the only win came due to a missed extra point by Louisiana Monroe in overtime.

Given how much is at stake for both teams, this is an early season match-up that could tell us a lot about both programs.

We have three locks and three bold predictions for the Cardinals as they prepare to grab their second consecutive victory in Tallahassee.