Louisville football had a great showing in Week 1, when the Cardinals nearly upset the No. 9 team in the nation, the Ole Miss Rebels. There are, of course, no moral victories in football, but the silver lining was that Lincoln Kienholz put on a historic performance, throwing for over 300 yards in his college debut, and the Cardinals earned respect from the rest of the nation.
Following Louisville’s tough loss, the message from the rest of the nation is that this team is a legit ACC Title contender, and the Cardinals have a real path to their first-ever College Football Playoffs. The Cardinals are eyeing a historic 2026 season, as Jeff Brohm and company look to win the program's first ACC title and secure a berth in their first CFP.
Following Week 1, the Cardinals are looking like a legit contender in the ACC, as are a few other teams in the conference. Week 1 showed a lot about who can contend at the top, so we are here to break down the Cardinals' three biggest threats to win the ACC Title.
Louisville's 3 biggest threats to win the ACC Title
No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers
Coming in at No. 3 is the Virginia Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are 1-0 after a dominant Week 0 win over North Carolina State and look like a legit threat to go to the ACC. Last year, the Cavaliers gave the Cardinals their first loss of the season when Louisville lost in overtime, and with the Cavaliers coming up just short in the ACC Championship game in 2025, they look motivated to return in 2026.
Virginia is the most experienced team in the country, which should help them in their big games, and their schedule doesn’t include many big games. The Cavaliers' toughest game is at SMU, but like Louisville, they don’t play Clemson or Miami. Virginia showed in Week 0 that they can compete for a spot in the ACC Championship game, and with the two not facing each other, Virginia is a team the Cardinals fans should monitor.
2. SMU Mustangs
Moving on to No. 2 is the SMU Mustangs. SMU is ranked No. 19 in the nation and is coming off a road win over Florida State on Monday night. The Mustangs return one of the conference's best quarterbacks, Kevin Jennings, and entered the year with the same ACC Title odds as the Cardinals.
With Louisville losing Week 1 to Ole Miss, the Cardinals' Week 3 matchup with the Mustangs is massive and already has major ACC Title implications. The Cardinals are 0-2 against SMU since joining the ACC, including last year's 38-6 loss. The Cards get SMU at home, and with both teams eyeing an ACC Title run, this is a huge conference game in week 3.
No. 1 Miami Hurricanes
And of course, coming in at No. 1 is the Miami Hurricanes. Coming off their College Football Playoff National Championship run, Miami looks every bit the legit ACC Title and National Title contender. The Hurricanes returned an elite offensive duo in Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher, and added former Duke standout at QB, Darian Mensah.
The Hurricanes improved to 1-0 following their dominant 45-6 win over Stanford and are still the heavy favorites to win the ACC Title with -210 odds, according to FanDuel. The Hurricanes do play Notre Dame, but aside from the Irish, the Canes' schedule is very favorable. Miami looks like the real deal and is the Cardinals' clear biggest threat to winning their first ACC Title.
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