3 game-changing stats that prove Louisville football will be even better in 2025

Louisville football is just under a month away from its season opener at home against Eastern Kentucky on August 30. As kickoff approaches, the Cardinal fans are hoping to build on the success of last season.

Currently, Louisville holds the third-best odds to win the ACC, trailing only Clemson and Miami, and head coach Jeff Brohm has had a strong start in his first two seasons at the helm. He led the Cardinals to the ACC Championship Game in year one and posted a 9–4 record last year — a season highlighted by a road win at Clemson.

Now, Brohm is aiming to return to the ACC title game and possibly push for the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. Achieving that goal would require meaningful improvement across the board.

3 stats that prove Louisville football will be even better in 2025

Looking ahead to 2025, Louisville is in a position to control its destiny if it can capitalize on key opportunities and tighten up in a few areas. From one-score games to defensive lapses and a lopsided rushing attack, here are three stats the Cardinals are poised to improve this season.

3. Record in One-Score Games

Louisville went 2–4 in one-score games during the 2024 regular season, including a 2–3 mark in ACC play. All three conference losses came by seven points or fewer, which was a big drop-off from 2023, when the Cardinals went 4–1 in one-score games.

The massive swing was most likely what cost them their chance to return to the ACC title game. Coach Brohm has historically fared well in tight contests. Including the 2023 season at Louisville, he’s had a winning record in one-score games over the past three years.

At Purdue in 2022, he went 5–2 (4–1 in Big Ten play), and in 2021, he went 2–1. According to CBS Sports, the ACC has had the fewest blowout games (decided by 17+ points) in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014, excluding 2020).

That makes close-game success even more critical in this conference. If Louisville had gone .500 in one-score games last year, it likely would’ve reached the ACC Championship instead of Clemson. Fixing this stat could give the Cards a significant edge in 2025.