After a long offseason, we are finally here. It's game week. The Louisville football team is ready to prove the doubters wrong and show that they can compete in the ACC. No one is expecting them to be playing in the ACC Championship Game for the second straight year.
The march towards that game and making the College Football Playoff starts on Saturday when they take on Austin Peay. The Cardinals will get a fairly easy start to their season which is exactly what this team needs. They need to figure out who their offensive contributors are going to be.
What can they expect to see from Austin Peay? The FCS team is getting a payday to head to Louisville and likely take a loss, but they will certainly compete. The Cardinals will still have to execute well and play hard to make sure things don't get nervous in the fourth quarter.
What Louisville football fans can expect from Austin Peay
Things got a little easier for the Cardinals this week when the Governors' co-offensive coordinator was arrested for human trafficking. That means that they offense won't be as potent, although they weren't exactly world-beaters last year either.
Louisville should be able to handle things defensively without too many problems. If Austin Peay scores more than 14 points in this game it would be a surprise. Louisville's team is built to lean on their defense early in the season anyway so this is an easy start for them.
Offensively, there's no reason why Louisville shouldn't be able to rack up yards and put up points. Austin Peay allowed 24 points per game last season while playing in the FCS. The Cardinals might be able to put up that number of points in the first half alone.
This is a good game to have the offense start out against. They should be able to build some confidence as they start the year.