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Louisville football: ACC power rankings week 1

By Presley Meyer

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers holds the ACC Championship trophy after their 42-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers holds the ACC Championship trophy after their 42-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 05: Micale Cunningham #3 of the Louisville Cardinals throws a pass in the game against the Boston College Eagles at Cardinal Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – OCTOBER 05: Micale Cunningham #3 of the Louisville Cardinals throws a pass in the game against the Boston College Eagles at Cardinal Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

5. Louisville

There’s no greater juxtaposition of an offense and a defense in the ACC than in Louisville.

On one hand, that is promising for Louisville football fans, but on the other, it is massively concerning.

The Cardinals ranked 24th in the country in total offense last season, and return three players in the top 20 of the Heisman conversation. That should be enough to keep Louisville in any game on its schedule. However, against more physically imposing defenses like Miami, Kentucky, and Clemson in 2019, the Cardinals were manhandled upfront.

When receiver Tutu Atwell and running back Javian Hawkins get the ball in space, there are few players in the country more elusive. The problem for Louisville will be protecting its two-star assets along with duel-threat quarterback Micale Cunningham.

On the other side of the ball, Louisville showed flashes of promise in 2019, but its defense often wore down at the end of games. Cardinals fans are hanging their hats on the fact that nine defensive starters return and last year’s defensive coaching staff remains intact.

Louisville shows a ton of promise, but we need to see that promise pan out on the field first before we get overly ambitious.

4. Virginia Tech

The Hokies are one of the more overlooked teams in the ACC heading into 2020.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker supplanted himself as a reliable starter and dangerous weapon late in 2019. He has plenty of reliable weapons in 2020, and we expect big things from potential breakout receiver Tayvion Robinson.

Defensively, Virginia Tech will have to deal with the loss of All-American defensive back Caleb Farley, who is a shoo-in to be a first-round draft pick in 2021.

If Justin Fuente’s squad can take the loss of Farley in stride, the Hokies are going to be one of the ACC’s teams to beat.

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