Louisville football just had one of the best offseasons in college football as the Cardinals went out and secured 31 commitments via the Transfer Portal. Jeff Brohm’s portal class ranks as high as No. 5 in the nation, led by Tre Richardson, Brody Foley, Lawayne McCoy, Koen Entringer, and many others.
Louisville is ranked as high as No. 14 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings, but the Cards are also left out of a few early top 25 rankings. While Louisville finished the season 9-4 last year, it was a little disappointing as they were 8-1 but lost three straight after Isaac Brown went down.
Next season, the Cardinals have a favorable schedule, but they still have some eye-opening games that could cause Louisville some trouble. So, after completing a best-case scenario, let's break down the worst-case scenario for the Louisville football team in 2026.
Louisville football worst-case scenario for 2026 season
Cardinals fans feel this schedule is much more manageable than last year's, but there are still some noteworthy games. At first glance, everyone is going to circle Week 1 and Week 3 when Louisville plays Ole Miss and SMU.
However, the Cardinals' road conference games against North Carolina State and Georgia Tech are no walk in the park by any means, and the late home game in November against Pitt is one to keep an eye on. And lastly is the Cardinals' road game for the Governor's Cup against Kentucky.
The Wildcats also had a successful offseason, hiring former Cardinal and Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein and adding former Notre Dame backup quarterback Kenny Minchey. Louisville has dominated this game over the past two years, and while the Cardinals look to be the better team on paper, they saw in 2023 that it is never a sure thing.
As for the other games listed, SMU has had the Cardinals' number since the Mustangs joined the ACC, going 2-0 over the past two seasons, including last year's 38-6 win over Louisville. And for North Carolina State and Georgia Tech, these are two gritty ACC programs that continue to trend in the right direction and are challenging places to play on the road.
Is it likely the Cardinals will lose all these games? No. However, these six games are certainly no creampuffs and ones that could cause trouble for the Cards in 2026. The Cardinals' worst-case scenario for next season is an 8-4 regular-season record, but it is hard to imagine this talented roster having a collapse like that in 2026.
Related:Â Way-too-early Louisville football 2026 game-by-game predictions
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville football's 2025 season and recruiting, stay tuned.