Louisville football hasn't been discussed much this offseason. Jeff Brohm and his staff have one of the best offenses in the nation, led by USC transfer Miller Moss, preseason All-American Isaac Brown, and receivers Caullin Lacy and Chris Bell on the outside.
This team deserves more recognition than they are currently receiving, and they have finally received extremely high praise from an ESPN reporter and announcer. Greg McElroy has already given the Cardinals his praise earlier this offseason, but this time, he went above and beyond, actually seeing the Cards as one of the top dogs in the ACC.
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FanDuel gives Louisville the third-best odds to win the ACC as the Cardinals open up with +750 odds. Clemson is leading the pack with +125 odds, with Miami right on their tail at +420.
Clemson has the highest win total in the ACC at 9.5 wins, while Louisville, Miami, and SMU all have 8.5 wins. McElroy sat down for his latest podcast and discussed whether Vegas got it right. Before he jumped into Louisville and asked if the Cardinals would hit the over on the 8.5, he praised the Cardinals and expressed that Louisville is flying under the radar and that Brohm's Cards' are like a hidden gem at this point.
"“Moving over to the Louisville Cardinals, I feel like no one’s talking about Louisville this year. No one is talking, but they’ve made great additions in the portal. They have an elite running back. They have a really solid nucleus of wide receivers returning. You still have a lot of talent on defense. Louisville is being slept on almost universally, and it’s time to start paying attention.”"Greg McElroy
Louisville has all the tools to compete in the ACC, and their schedule features some tough opponents, but it also includes some cupcakes.
"If you look at what coach Jeff Brohm has done over the last few years, man, I'd be surprised if they're not highly competitive yet again." McElroy stated on the Cardinals' upcoming season." "Then you go through their schedule, and I think, for the most part, it is kind of manageable."
He then went down and broke down the Cardinals' schedule, explaining that the Cards' ACC opponents are tough. The matchups he broke down were at Virginia Tech on Nov. 1, the Friday matchup against Clemson, and a "physical" blockbuster showdown with SMU the week after Clemson.
The Cardinals should be near the top, and the expert expressed that he thinks Louisville beat SMU, with the Mustangs dropping off slightly this season. However, he specifically said to circle one game, and that is the massive showdown with the Miami Hurricanes on Oct. 17.
“They’re at Miami. That’s on a Friday, October 17th. Keep that one circled." The ESPN expert stated. "Very difficult game that might decide one of those two teams will be playing in the ACC championship game. The winner of that game might be the one that has a little bit of a leg up."
The Cardinals' matchup with Miami will be a blockbuster showdown that could define their season. If Louisville can secure that massive win on the road at Hard Rock Stadium, the Cardinals most likely will control their destiny and have excellent odds of making the ACC Championship game.
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McElroy ended his segment on the Cardinals by expressing that he thinks "Louisville should be in a pretty good spot heading into this upcoming season."
It's always nice to hear Louisville football receiving high praise, especially since Clemson and Miami have been the only teams to garner national media recognition this entire offseason. It seems that everyone has forgotten about the Cardinals, but McElroy just put Louisville back on everyone's radar, and while they have three tough matchups, he made it clear that Louisville has the tools and a clear path to the ACC Championship game
For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.