Louisville and Jeff Brohm can't blow these games if they want to win first ACC Title

Louisville football has earned nine wins in two straight seasons, and Jeff Brohm quickly elevated this program once he arrived. The Cardinals will now look to take this program to the next level, as Louisville has its eyes on the ACC Title.

The Cardinals have never won the ACC Football Title, and Louisville currently has the third-best odds to win the crown. However, Louisville does have a tough ACC schedule, as the Cardinals have to travel to Miami, SMU, Pitt, and Virginia Tech this season.

Brohm and his staff have the roster to get it done, but road games in college football are never easy. The Cardinals will likely have to finish with at least a 10-2 record and a 6-2 ACC record. With summer practice just around the corner and the Cardinals' first game on Aug. 30 quickly approaching, let’s break down the Cardinals’ path to the ACC Title in three categories: Toss-Ups, Favorable, and Must-Wins.

Must-Win Games

Eastern Kentucky - First game of the season, but Louisville should dominate from start to finish.
James Madison - The Dukes are known to be a well-balanced football team, but the Cardinals must rely on their explosive offense to defeat JMU.
Bowling Green - The Falcons played Penn State well last season, but don't be too afraid, Cardinals fans. Louisville can't afford to stumble in these first three games and must go 3-0.
Virginia - Virginia lost many key players from last season. The Cavaliers shouldn't cause too many issues for Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.
Cal - The Golden Bears are projected to finish towards the bottom of the ACC after losing multiple stars from last season. Louisville must take care of business and secure a win.
Kentucky - The Governor's Cup will be played as the last game of the season, and Louisville must dominate like last season. The Cardinals are much better, and the Wildcats are set to be one of the worst teams in the SEC again.

Note: Louisville must go 6-0 in these games to make the ACC Title game. The ACC is predicted to earn two bids in many way-too-early College Football Playoffs predictions, meaning the Cardinals must take care of business against these weaker teams if they want a chance to finish at the top of the ACC.

Favorable games

Boston College - Louisville will face the Eagles the week after their trip to Miami. Win or lose against Miami, the Cardinals must not overlook Boston College and secure a win at home.
@Virginia Tech - A trip to Lane Stadium is never easy, and the Cardinals travel to VT on Nov. 1. Louisville must find a way to win to keep ACC hopes alive.
@ Pitt- The Panthers are coming off a roller coaster of a year. The Cardinals travel to Pitt to open ACC play, meaning Louisville must play its best football to start 1-0 in the conference.

Note: These three games are much tougher than the previous six, but again, the Cardinals need to find a way to win on the road and secure three wins here if they want to play for the ACC Title. The Cardinals' toss-up games (see below) are going to be hard for Louisville to secure three wins there, meaning Brohm and his Cards' must go at least 2-1 in this category, but 3-0 would allow Louisville to stumble a little bit in the toss-up games.

Toss-Up Games

@Miami - ESPN listed this as the Cardinals' season-defining game, meaning Louisville will have a tall task at hand to take on Carson Beck and Miami at Hard Rock Stadium
@SMU - Louisville will seek revenge and keep ACC Title hope alive in this matchup. This is the Cardinals' last ACC game
Clemson - The Tigers have legitimate National Championship hopes, and this will be a massive game for Louisville and their ACC Title hopes. The Cardinals earned their first-ever win over Clemson last season, and with the game being at home this year, fans are a little more hopeful than usual.

Note: Louisville must go 4-2 in the toss-up and favorable games categories. If the Cardinals slip up against Pitt, Virginia Tech, or Boston College, they must find a way to go 2-1 in this three-game gauntlet. Being on the road for two of these three games will make it tougher, but Louisville has the roster and talent to go 10-2 this season and secure a birth in the ACC Title game.

Prediction

The path is clear. The Cardinals must go 6-0 in the must-win category, secure four wins in the favorable and toss-up games categories, and have room for error in two games. Is that possible for this Cardinals squad? Yes. However, I think a realistic prediction is that the Cardinals go 6-0 in that must-win category but fall to Miami and Clemson and one more team, whether that is SMU, Pitt, or Virginia Tech.

Louisville has what it takes to beat Clemson at home or Miami on the road. They showed that last year in both matchups. However, we are predicting a 9-3 season for Louisville and a chance to secure the program's first 10-win season since 2023.

Can Louisville find a way to secure 10 regular-season wins? Can they pull off the upset against SMU, Miami, and Clemson?

Let us know which game you think will make or break the Louisville Cardinals season.