5 biggest questions facing Louisville football ahead of Boston College

5. Can Louisville avoid a letdown?

In this “battle of the birds,” Louisville should be the one flying high by the end of the night. But history suggests a possible trap. Brohm’s teams have developed a pattern of emotional letdowns following big wins.

At Louisville, both of his marquee upsets — Notre Dame in 2023 and Clemson in 2024 — were followed by disappointing losses as favorites. After upsetting Notre Dame, Louisville lost 38–21 at Pitt as a seven-point favorite. A year later, the Cards beat Clemson for the first time ever… only to fall the following game at Stanford as 20.5-point favorites. Even back at Purdue, Brohm’s teams did the same thing, following up upset wins over ranked teams (like Ohio State and Iowa in 2018) with head-scratching losses.

Coincidence or trend, this week’s setup feels eerily similar: a massive win, a huge spread, and an opponent on a losing streak. Brohm will need to shake those ghosts of “spooky season” and make sure his team handles business.