Louisville football fans are punching the air right now and have a lot to complain about after the first official preseason AP Poll was released. The Cardinals were left out of the first rankings and entered the season with 90 receiving votes, which appears to have them ranked No. 29 entering the 2025 college football season.
However, once fans get over the fact that their Cards aren't ranked, something even bigger arises, and it has Louisville fans excited and counting down the days until kickoff again. The Cardinals will face two top-ten teams late in the season and three top-25 teams.
Louisville will have plenty of opportunities to prove its worth, and if Louisville can survive those three blockbuster prime-time showdowns, then this Jeff Brohm squad has a chance at history in 2025.
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Louisville football's 2025 season stacked after AP rankings
Louisville's matchups with Miami, Clemson, and SMU just got significantly bigger once all three ACC opponents' rankings were revealed. The Tigers are the highest-ranked ACC team as they come in ranked No. 4 in the nation, and the Hurricanes are six spots behind Clemson, rounding out the top 10 at No. 10. Finally, the last team in the ACC ranked are the Mustangs who come in ranked No. 16, making Louisville's gauntlet of a schedule that more thrilling, but that more challenging.
The Cardinals will travel to Miami on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. local time. They will then host Clemson on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. local time. Finally, they will travel to Texas to face SMU on Nov. 22. Louisville's gauntlet of a schedule appears to be a statement season waiting to happen.
Texas is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time, just ahead of No. 2 Penn State.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 11, 2025
See where other top teams rank. https://t.co/qXJ5AkXKho
Brohm has proven in his two seasons that he can beat elite teams, having beaten Notre Dame in 2023 and Clemson in 2024. Now, he has to put a full season together, and this year is the perfect season as he enters the magical third season.
Other ACC teams that received votes for the rankings include Georgia Tech, Florida State, Duke, and Pitt. The Cardinals will face Pitt in week five on Sept. 20 at Pitt. This will be the Cardinals' first ACC showdown in 2025, and their first test of the season.
Related: Louisville 2025 game-by-game predictions: Can Cardinals beat Clemson again?
For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason, stay tuned.