The college football season officially kicks off for the Louisville Cardinals later today against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Many writers and media sources are praising head coach Jeff Brohm and the Louisville Cardinals as a potential dark horse candidate for the ACC Championship game. With the transfers and talent brought into Louisville this offseason as well as the incredible returning talent from last year’s team, it's easy to see why some are throwing preseason hype Louisville’s way.
With this preseason hype comes expectations on Louisville football's potential outcomes as well as added pressure to the Cards to meet these goals. None of this is new to Coach Brohm, who is entering his third season as the leader of the Cardinals. However, Louisville’s path to the ACC Championship, as is with any team, comes with its own set of challenges. The Cardinals look to compete in their second ACC Championship game in three years, but what obstacles stand in their way to achieving this goal?
Here are five challenges the Louisville Cardinals must face head-on on their route to the ACC Title game.
5. Balancing touches between running backs
This may be one of the only good challenges/problems to have. It's never a bad thing to have many mouths to feed; however, feeding them all can sometimes be a challenge. Louisville returns two explosive backs in the sophomore tandem of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson. Brown has been receiving numerous well-deserved preseason accolades, following his breakout performance last season, including preseason All-American honors. Watson came on strong late last season to support Brown, posting an astounding 8.9 yards per attempt.
The Cardinals have the incredible fortune of having another season of both of these star runners. The question now becomes how the distribution of touches and carries is determined throughout the season. Brohm has his hands full as this task develops game to game. The run game is poised to be the focal point of the offense, and hopefully, it will open up plenty of opportunities in the passing game. It will be absolutely critical that this balance is perfected and that the running game is well established each game.
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4. Replacing departing stars & leaders
One of the keys to Louisville’s success last season was the star power and senior leadership present on both sides of the football. These two aspects are the cornerstone to a successful squad and could easily be the difference between hard-fought wins and laid-down losses, especially late in the season.
Last year’s offense was high-flying with the likes of Tyler Shough and Ja’Corey Brooks leading the way in the passing game. Senior transfer Miller Moss and returning starter wide receiver Chris Bell look to fill these voids for the Cardinals. Their leadership and performance on the field will be imperative to picking up where Shough and Brooks left off.
The defensive side of the ball also has a couple of massive holes to fill in new NFL stars Ashton Gillotte and Quincy Riley. However, Louisville will look to lean on newly arriving transfers to step into these roles. Defensive end Wes Bailey and cornerback Rodney Johnson have played the part left behind by these stars early for the Cards. Time will tell if these two can be the defensive leaders this team needs and answer many early question marks for the defense.
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3. QB & coach chemistry
Head coach Jeff Brohm has been highly successful in his first two years at the helm, bringing in talent from the transfer portal, particularly at the quarterback position. Brohm hand-picked one of his former players, Jack Plummer, in 2023, who, though he had many ups and downs throughout the season, led the Cardinals to their first (and only) ACC Championship berth. Plummer posted an impressive stat line, proving he could step into that needed role and run the Brohm offense effectively.
Tyler Shough’s performance speaks for itself after he was drafted in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. His accuracy, arm strength, and precision showed through in his appearances last season. Shough led a high-powered Cardinal offense in 2024, which had Louisville in every game late.
The foundation of these successful seasons stems from the communication and the chemistry formed between player and coach. Brohm’s offense has established itself as effective and a winning strategy when the right personnel are in place during the season—Brohm hand-picked newcomer Miller Moss to lead the Cardinals this year. The blueprint has been in place for the last two seasons; it's now time to see if Moss can step into that role and lead the Cardinal offense to fruition.
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2. Question marks in the secondary
The secondary position group has experienced a complete overhaul from the players present on last year’s team. Louisville has no returning starters for this position group as well as very little experience from last year’s team returning either. Brohm and defensive coordinator Ron English were very active in the transfer portal this past season, picking up the likes of CB Rodney Johnson and DB Jojo Evans.
The coaching staff will look to these two as well as the other players to provide the needed spark for this group to complement the other position groups and provide a viable last line of defense. The defense was often criticized last year for their inability to step up in key situations. Louisville in fact lost three of their games against highly touted opponents by only 7 points (Notre Dame, SMU, and Miami). Many Cards fans will have a major magnifying glass on this group and will be keeping their eye on their performance and their impacts on the Cards chances of winning games.
1. Strong conference schedule
Louisville once again faces a tough string of games when it comes to their conference lineup this season. The Cardinals' path to the ACC Championship goes through the top three projected teams in the conference, which include Clemson, Miami, and SMU. All three teams entering the season are included in the AP top 25 and look to build on highly successful seasons last year.
The Cardinals get a rematch of one of their most highly touted wins of last season when Clemson comes to L&N Stadium on November 14th. Cardinals fans are bound to have the stadium rocking, especially if a playoff path for the Cardinals remains a strong possibility late in the season. Clemson and Louisville have produced some instant classics over the years and have budded into an intense ACC rivalry.
Louisville also returns to Miami on October 17 and to SMU on November 22. The trip to Miami will be challenging enough, considering the Cardinals will be playing away on a short week of practice and preparation. The SMU game will also be coming a week after the hard-fought battle against Clemson. Louisville fell just short in both games last season, losing by just 7 points in both matchups. If Louisville wants to have a legitimate shot at the ACC Championship, it will need to course-correct from last season and take care of these three conference foes.
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Louisville and Eastern Kentucky are scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 30, from L&N Stadium. The matchup will be broadcast on ACCN.
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