Louisville football fans are all-in on the Cardinals for the 2026 season, as this Cardinals team has a much different vibe than the past couple of seasons. Jeff Brohm is incredibly high on the roster he built this offseason, as the Cards have been raising eyebrows from major media outlets.
Louisville ranked No. 5 in the nation after it brought in 31 transfers via the Transfer Portal, including five 4-stars, and 3-star Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz. However, the big reason Louisville is ranked No. 14 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings and No. 16 in CBS's way-too-early top 25 is because of Brohm’s ability to recruit from within and keep Isaac Brown, Antonio Watts, AJ Green, and many other key starters from last season.
CBS recently released its way-too-early college football bowl projections, and while the Cardinals won’t be in the spot they are dreaming of, they do earn high praise and are considered a legitimate dark horse for the College Football Playoffs.
Related: Way-too-early Louisville football 2026 game-by-game predictions
Louisville football earns major dark horse buzz in CBS bowl projection
CBS Sports' Brad Crawford released his first College Football Bowl Projections for the 2026 season, including his way-too-early College Football Playoffs projection. The Cards will quickly notice Louisville isn’t one of the 12 teams listed in the playoffs, but Crawford praised the Cards and told the whole nation to keep an eye on Louisville.
Crawford predicts Louisville to make the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and to go head-to-head with the Oklahoma Sooners.
"Pay attention to Louisville next season. Jeff Brohm has a roster he believes can scale the mountain in the ACC and potentially seize the program's first playoff appearance. The Sooners are coming off a breakthrough finish and surrounded returning quarterback John Mateer with weapons this offseason in the passing game. Oklahoma and Louisville have only met twice, the last meeting in 1999, one year before the Sooners were crowned national champions under coaching legend Bob Stoops."Brad Crawford
The Cardinals have never made it to the College Football Playoffs, and while Crawford doesn’t put them in the playoffs in his projection, he makes sure to tell the nation to “pay attention.” Many experts are high on Louisville entering the 2026 season, but Crawford has listed them in multiple articles now, as he also listed Louisville as one of his top teams to make the program's first CFP.
Crawford predicts Miami to be the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoffs, and then Virginia Tech to play in the Holiday Bowl and Clemson to play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. So, while Louisville might not have been projected to make the CFP in this way-too-early bowl prediction, Crawford sent a loud message to the nation, telling everyone to watch out as Brohm and his Cardinals are on the rise, and everyone should be on the lookout.
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.