Three weeks into the regular season, and the ACC already looks a little different than expected. Louisville hasn’t faced a true test yet, with one more tune-up before conference play begins on September 27 at Pittsburgh. While the Cardinals have cruised early, the rest of the league has already been shaken up compared to preseason expectations—and for some of the favorites, that hasn’t been a good thing.
Clemson now faces an uphill battle just to make the ACC Championship Game, let alone the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, other teams have flipped the script. Florida State stunned Alabama in Week 1 and suddenly looks like a legitimate title contender after last season’s collapse. Miami, already picked by many as a top ACC threat, has arguably exceeded even those expectations through three weeks. Georgia Tech, a popular “dark horse,” made a major statement by beating Clemson, a result that dramatically shifted the conference landscape.
That upset had a ripple effect. It put Georgia Tech in a prime position to reach the ACC Championship Game thanks to a favorable schedule that avoids Miami, Florida State, SMU, and Louisville. At the same time, it left Clemson with little margin for error, especially with tough games still looming against Florida State and Louisville.
For the Cardinals, the ripple effect is clear: the road ahead looks different from what it did in August. Clemson remains a critical matchup, but it suddenly feels more winnable. The true defining moments of Louisville’s season will come against Pittsburgh (Sept. 27), Miami (Oct. 17), and SMU (Nov. 22)—three road tests that could determine whether the Cardinals are contenders or pretenders in the ACC race.
So, here are the three most difficult games remaining on Louisville football's 2025 schedule.
Related: ACC Title race explodes; Miami, Georgia Tech, Louisville rise as Clemson collapses