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Why this weekend could decide the rest of the Louisville football season

The Louisville football team has to beat SMU this weekend. Here's why it's so important that they do.

By Ryan Stano

Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) throws against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) throws against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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The Louisville football team is coming off a loss for the first time this season. They lost to Notre Dame last weekend playing the game in South Bend. It's a game that they could have won. Had they not turned it over so much, the Cardinals would have won the game.

Instead, they are left with a 3-1 record as SMU comes to town. The Mustangs bring in a high-powered offense and a turnover margin that marks as one of the best in the country. It won't be an easy game for them to win considering those factors, but it's one they need to win.

This marks as the most important game for the Louisville Cardinals so far. SMU is not the best team in the ACC by a large margin. In fact, they might not even be in the top half of the league in terms of talent. Yet, this game could determine how the rest of the Cardinals' season goes.

The Louisville football team now has its most important game of the year this weekend

So why is this game so important if it's not even against one of the best teams in the conference? It's important because if they lose this game, their goals could become out of reach. They might not have a chance to make the College Football Playoff as an at-large team.

The only way they could get there is by getting the automatic bid. That would mean that they would have to win the rest of their games this season. That includes contests against Miami and Clemson, something that seems unlikely. They can survive one loss to either of those teams, but not one to a lesser team.

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Louisville will be playing every game from now on this season like it's make-or-break. Their backs are against the wall if they want to get into the CFP.

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