The Indiana Hoosiers are the 2025-26 National Champions after Curt Cignetti and Fernando Mendoza defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the National Championship game last night, 27-21. The 2025 season was a bit of a roller coaster for Louisville football as the Cardinals started 7-1, including a win at Miami, but then after Isaac Brown went down, they lost three straight, falling to 7-4.
However, the Cardinals beat Kentucky 41-0 and then won their second straight bowl game, finishing 9-4, and look to carry that momentum into the 2026 season. The Cardinals have had an eye-popping offseason as the fans are buzzing with excitement surrounding this roster that Jeff Brohm and Vince Marrow have built so far.
So, with the 2025-26 season over, and the Cardinals fans excited for next season, let's break down the way-too-early 2026 National Championship Title odds.
Louisville football 2026 National Title odds
Louisville Cardinals' first 2026 National Title odds are the 29th highest at +15000, according to FanDuel. The Cardinals' +15000 odds are behind Miami (+1900), Clemson (+10000), SMU (+10000), and Virginia (+12500) from the ACC, and are behind other notable teams like Iowa, Missouri, BYU, Washington, and Vanderbilt.
Louisville fans may feel slightly disrespected by these odds, as the Cardinals had a massive offseason and are ranked as high as No. 14 in ESPN's way-too-early top 25. The Cardinals' offseason ranks No. 4 in the nation after adding Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz to lead the Cards' offense at QB1, Vandy transfer Tre Richardson, and Florida State transfer Lawayne McCoy to be WR1 and WR2. And on top of that, they added an experienced offensive lineman and the No. 3 tight end in the portal in Brody Foley.
On the defensive side, the Cardinals are loaded with experience and talent. The linebacker room has three starters returning in Stanquan Clark, Antonio Watts, and TJ Capers, while the defensive line is expected to be just as dominant next season with Clev Lubin and AJ Green returning, and adding UNC transfer Tyler Thompson.
The Cardinals have never won the ACC Title or made it to the College Football Playoffs, but in mid-January, the vibe certainly feels different than the past few offseasons. The Cardinals have one of their best rosters assembled in quite some time, and while their National Title odds don’t show that, this fanbase truly believes this could be the year Louisville makes a run.
Louisville’s notable opponents on its schedule is, of course, Ole Miss in Nashville for Week 1, and then their challenging ACC opponents include Georgia Tech, Florida State, Pitt, and SMU. Louisville doesn’t have Miami, Clemson, Duke, or Virginia on its schedule this season.
So, the Cardinals' schedule looks manageable early in 2026, but still a lot of months before August and that Week 1 matchup with the Rebels. For now, the city of Louisville is buzzing and the Cards fans are counting down to Week 1 to see this new Louisville squad in action.