Louisville football might not be ranked in the AP Polls, but the Cardinals do find themselves making waves in the ESPN College Football Power Rankings. Despite being undefeated through five weeks of football with a 4-0 record, including a road win over Pitt, the Cardinals sit unranked in the AP top 25.
Louisville is one of only two Power Four teams unranked with an undefeated record, but Jeff Brohm made it clear in yesterday's press conference that, as of now, it doesn't matter, and it will all play out. The Cardinals have a massive opportunity this weekend to make a statement against No. 24 Virginia, and with a win, they would undoubtedly be ranked.
ESPN recently released its top 25 power rankings, and the Cardinals found themselves cracking the Top 25 for the first time since the Preseason. Louisville fans are pleased to see the Cards in the top 25 of ESPN's power rankings, but they are also screaming that these next two games are poised to reveal who this team really is.
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ESPN reveals how crucial Louisville's next two games are for ACC Title
While the Cardinals sit 4-0, the fans and maybe even Brohm realize that they don't have an impressive resume as of today. However, Louisville's next two opponents will likely make or break the Cardinals' season, as they face Virginia and then Miami, setting them up perfectly to contend for the ACC Title.
"The Cardinals pulled off quite a surprise on Saturday, rallying back from a 17-0 deficit on the road to beat Pitt 34-27. Miller Moss threw for 339 yards and three TDs and got plenty of help from a defense that nabbed five takeaways, got nine third-down stops and pitched a second-half shutout. Considering Pitt hadn't blown a 17-point lead in a conference game since 2009, that's quite a feat. The Cardinals are 4-0 for the second time in three years under coach Jeff Brohm and have a big opportunity, with Virginia and Miami up next, to prove they're a contender in the ACC title race. "Max Olson
Louisville being ranked No. 25 by ESPN's Power Rankings is a slight boost for the fans, but the biggest takeaway from this is Olson revealing how crucial the next two games are. Louisville has a chance to beat the No. 24 team and the No. 3 team in the country. With two wins over two top-ranked ACC teams, Louisville would become the ACC frontrunner.
However, obviously, that is no easy challenge, and so if Louisville wants to compete in the ACC Title race, it is clear that they must go at least 1-1 in these next two games, making this weekend's matchup at home versus Virginia crucial for a win.
It will be a tall task to ask Louisville to go into Miami and win, but expecting a win at home this weekend is not nearly as challenging as Week 8 in Hard Rock Stadium. Louisville must try to scrap out a gritty win again this weekend against a red-hot UVA squad that is coming off a massive upset over Florida State.
ESPN just said the quiet part out loud and revealed that if Louisville wants to compete for the ACC Title, they must win this week. Louisville currently has the third-best odds to win the ACC, only behind Miami and Georgia Tech.
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Louisville football returns home next week against Virginia at 3:30 local time.