Jeff Brohm has led Louisville to 19 wins over his first two seasons since returning to his alma mater, but the program is looking to take the next step and contend for the College Football Playoff. That journey begins in Week 1 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium with the Cardinals hosting the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
While the confernece slate won’t be easy for Brohm’s team to navigate with trips to Miami and SMU and a home game against Clemson, the non-conference schedule is more than manageable for an upper-tier ACC contender. Still, while the Cardinals are big favorites in Week 1, there are some problems that the FCS opponent will force Louisville to solve.
Balancing Brohm’s third new QB in three years with an elite run game
Louisville’s 2025 offense will be built around the run game. With Isaac Brown and Duke Watson both back from last year’s team, that fact seems inevitable. However, the early part of the season must be about getting USC transfer quarterback Miller Moss up to speed in his new offense.
From Jack Plummer to Tyler Shough to Moss, Brohm has consistently relied on one-year transfer portal solutions at the quarterback position, and his play-calling genius has yielded effective offense. Last season, Shough finished 12th in EPA/dropback, finally staying healthy and playing to his potential in the final season of a seven-year collegiate odyssey. However, in 2023, even with Plummer ranking outside the top 70 in EPA/dropback, Louisville managed its first 10-win season since joining the ACC.
Moss was benched last season at USC, prompting him to transfer away from another QB whisperer, Lincoln Riley. Still, Brohm will find a way to make things work with Moss. The question, though, and the biggest potential problem in Week 1 against FCS competition, is how much Louisville will be forced to rely on its talented stable of running backs ot dispatch of an inferior opponent.
If the passing game sputters in a game that Louisville should and almost certainly will win against Eastern Kentucky, then it could be a bad sign for the rest of the season.
Brown and Watson will give the Cardinals their best chance to beat the premier teams in the ACC, but they need to be fresh by that time in the season. So, Moss needs to get on the same page with his pass catchers quickly to hit the ground running and preserve the team’s two biggest offensive weapons.