The Louisville football program is set to kick off with the Miami Hurricanes this Friday from Hard Rock Stadium. The Cardinals' last game came a couple of Saturdays ago when Louisville fell to Virginia in a heartbreaking overtime loss. Now, the Cardinals are fresh off a bye week and will look to make a name for themselves and try to upset the No. 2 Miami Hurricanes on the road.
Entering the season, this game was highly anticipated, and many fans were excited to watch the showdown. However, after Louisville's underwhelming start and a loss to Virginia, this game is now a must-win for Louisville to keep any ACC Title dream alive. The fans are bracing themselves for this game, but are fearing the worst as Miami looks dominant and one of the best teams in the country.
Many fans turn to ESPN Analytics to get a sense of what experts and models are predicting for the game, and, well, Louisville fans are not liking what they see in ESPN's predictions.
Related: ESPN unveils 'season-defining game' that will make or break Louisville football's season
Louisville fans hold their breath for Miami clash
The Cardinals enter their showdown as 12.5-point underdogs, and for the first time of the season, they aren't the favorite. The experts and Vegas oddsmakers believe Louisville will have their hands full, as this Miami team looks to be the real deal, and with the game being on the road, the Cardinals must play their best game of the season to try and pull off an upset.
ESPN Analytics believes Louisville has little chance of winning this game, as they give Louisville just a 15.1 percent chance of beating Miami this Friday night. The Hurricanes have a dominant 84.9 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN.
Last year, Louisville gave Miami a fight, which turned into a shootout, as Cam Ward had to throw for 319 yards and four touchdowns to squeak by Louisville in a 52-45 victory. Louisville's offense, however, hasn't looked nearly as good this year as it did last year, and the rushing attack has been brutal to watch due to the struggles of the offensive line.
With Miami's defensive line ranking among the best in the nation, Cardinals fans fear this one might get ugly, and it appears ESPN agrees. Louisville will have a tall challenge ahead of them, but they did beat Miami on the road two years ago, so maybe Brohm can try to do it again.
Related: 5 bold predictions for the remainder of Louisville football’s 2025 season
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville football's 2025 season and recruiting, stay tuned.