The bloated ACC sent Louisville to Palo Alto to play Stanford last season, which resulted in an unexpected 38-35 loss on the West Coast. Now, in 2025, the Cardinals will play host to one of Stanford’s biggest rivals from the Bay Area, Cal. When the two teams, both non-traditional ACC members, take the field on November 8, it will be their first-ever meeting.
An unfamiliar opponent can create unease, but if Jeff Brohm is serious about his team contending for a conference title in Year 3 of his tenure, then dispatching the downtrodden Golden Bears shouldn’t be a big issue in Week 11. Especially if Brohm can develop a well-rounded passing game early in the season, and maybe more importantly, keep it intact.
Will Miller Moss have a reliable WR2 by November?
This isn’t just a development question, it’s a health one.
Jeff Brohm has a unique way of siphoning targets to his No. 1 receiver and building a successful passing offense, not exclusively, but primarily targeting one player on the outside. In Year 1 of the Brohm era, that player was Jamari Thrash, and last season it became Ja’Corey Brooks, but many expected it would be South Alabama transfer Caullin Lacy.
Lacy was dominant in 2023 at USA, one of the best run-after-catch threats in the country, but injuries hobbled him for much of 2024, so he took a backseat to Brooks. Both he and Chris Bell have an opportunity to be effective No. 1 options for Miller Moss in 2025, but will they both be firing on all cylinders come November?
While Cal looks like an ACC bottom-feeder heading into the year, having a second receiver could be particularly important when the Golden Bears come to Louisville in Week 11. Justin Wilcox lost much more to the transfer portal than he brought back, in terms of talent more than volume, but one of his most significant additions was cornerback Hezekiah Masses from FIU.
Masses just barely allowed over a 50% reception percentage when targeted last season with five forced incompletions, two pass breakups, and one interception. When he did get beat in coverage, he proved to be a reliable tackler in his second season as a full-time starter and third as a major contributor for the Panthers. Masses could be a legit No. 1 CB in the ACC, and could have Moss looking away from his No. 1 target in Louisville’s matchup with Cal.
Masses is a problem, but not one that Brohm, especially with the best running game of his tenure, won’t be able to solve. The bigger issue is potentially falling victim to a look-ahead spot on the schedule with Clemson coming to town in Week 12.