Louisville football suffered its second loss of the season as the Demon Deacons upset the Cardinals, 30-27. The Cardinals fell in the first half, then gave up 21 points in the second half and trailed 24-14 at one point. They went into halftime trailing 24-21, and their explosive offense stalled in the second half, unable to find the end zone.
Louisville football’s ACC Title hopes take massive hit after brutal Wake Forest loss
The Cards tied it after three, but after missing a 42-yard field goal with 2:29 remaining, Louisville ultimately laid an egg in the fourth and didn’t score a single point in the final quarter. The Cardinals suffered their first bad loss of the season, forcing them not only to drop in the AP rankings but also to see their ACC Title odds plummet.
So, here is our prediction of what the AP Poll top 25 could look like heading into week 5 of the 2026-27 season.
- Texas Longhorns (1)
- Georgia Bulldogs (2)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3)
- Indiana Hoosiers (5)
- Miami Hurricanes (6)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (7)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (8)
- BYU Cougars (9)
- Florida Gators (21)
- Ole Miss Rebels (4)
- LSU Tigers (10)
- Texas Tech Red Raiders (11)
- Utah Utes (15)
- Iowa Hawkeyes (17)
- Oregon Ducks (20)
- Mississippi State Bulldogs (24)
- USC Trojans (12)
- Tennessee Volunteers (14)
- SMU Mustangs (22)
- Penn State Nittany Lions (13)
- Houston Cougars (25)
- Michigan Wolverines (18)
- Oklahoma State Cowboys (NR)
- Kentucky Wildcats (NR)
- Missouri Tigers (19)
Louisville football projected to fall out of AP Top 25
After Louisville’s ugly loss to Wake Forest, the Cardinals fall to 2-2, which makes it feel like they will drop in the rankings. The Cardinals were 12.5-point favorites and played at home, making it a game Louisville couldn’t afford to lose.
On top of Louisville losing, Ole Miss got stomped by Florida, as the Rebels lost 52-28, which certainly hurts the Cardinals' first loss. So, with Louisville losing to an unranked Wake Forest team at home as a near two-touchdown favorite, we think the Cardinals won’t just drop in the rankings but will ultimately drop out of the rankings.
We think Oklahoma State will jump into the rankings, as the Pokes defeated Oregon and have now won three straight after defeating West Virginia on the road. And while some Cardinals fans might not like it, we project the Kentucky Wildcats to jump Louisville and to make their first appearance in the top 25.
Louisville’s season isn’t over, but if the Cardinals want to climb in the AP Polls and be a true ACC Title contender, they have to find a way to get motivated against these non-powerhouse ACC teams. A lot of the season is left, but man, this one hurt.
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