Louisville football suffered their first loss last weekend at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers. Louisville was a 6.5-point favorite entering the most crucial game of its season, but another slow start set back the Cards. The Cardinals are undefeated no more, and they are about to enter their biggest stretch of the season.
This loss is a tough one for Louisville football fans because they know they lost due to repeated mistakes. This team has the potential to make a run this year, but these bone-headed plays keep setting them back. The path to the postseason got a whole lot harder after the loss, but the good news is, they are not out of it.
All hope is not lost, Cardinal fans, and there is still a lot of season left. With a bye this week and Miami next week, is it possible for Louisville to run the table?
Why Louisville shock Miami and the ACC
Every game will be its own challenge, but here are the three main games to watch out for on the Louisville football schedule. Let’s start with Miami, the next game on the Cardinals' schedule. The Hurricanes have been dominant this season, with three of their wins against ranked opponents. They took down Florida State last weekend, but the Seminoles may have found something in that fourth quarter.
The Seminoles scored 19 unanswered points in the final quarter, and the Cardinals have to look into that. This Hurricanes team is not unbeatable. Louisville has all the tools to win and upset them at their home field. The Hurricanes have not scored over 30 points in their last two games, but the Cards have scored over 30 in all of their games except one. They actually average more points per game than the Hurricanes.
The defense has been stellar for the Cardinals this season. They will have to slow down Carson Beck and the offense to have a chance at the upset, but the good news for them is that they have all the tools to do so. If Louisville can go into Miami and knock off one of the top teams in the country, they will be well-positioned for success for the rest of the season.
The Cardinals will look ahead to Clemson and SMU after the Hurricanes. Both games are back-to-back and take place in the final three weeks of the season. They will encounter the Tigers first, who have not had the start to the season that they had hoped for. They have talent on the roster, but how important will the game be to Clemson when the time comes around?
Then, the next week, they will head to SMU, a team that made the CFB Playoffs last season. They have also started slowly with a 3-2 start, but the Cardinals will have to remain focused. Louisville football cannot take these late-season games lightly, no matter the opposing team's record.
The ACC isn't quite what many thought it would be. Clemson and SMU had a slow start and may be finding their footing late in the season. Louisville's next showdown with Miami is a massive one. If the Cardinals can shock the Hurricanes and the ACC, pulling off the biggest upset of the season, then this team will have all the momentum and can run the table. If they fall to Miami and drop 4-2, then the reality will settle in that their ACC Championship dreams are a long shot and most likely out of the picture.
Related: Louisville fans are saying the quiet part out loud after the loss to Virginia
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