Opinion: Why Louisville football is legit

The ACC has looked as competitive as ever with teams such as Georgia Tech, Miami and Virginia excelling through the first nine weeks. However, one team has flown significantly under the radar.

That team is the Louisville Cardinals.

Coming into the 2025-2026 season, the Cardinals were looked at as a mid-tier ACC team, but head coach Jeff Brohm knew he had something special in this squad.

They currently sit at 7-1 and 4-1 in conference play, with their only loss coming to Virginia in overtime.

So what’s the deal with this team? Are they contenders? Pretenders?

They’re the best team in the ACC. And it’s not close.

I know that sounds outrageous, but there is no team with a stronger schedule and more convincing wins than these Cardinals.

You may be thinking, “What about Virginia?” They beat Florida State when they were wrongly ranked in the top 15, spiking their rank. Other than that, their best win is over 5-4 California. The Virginia Cavaliers are frauds.

“But Sawyer, what about Georgia Tech?” The same Georgia Tech team that doesn’t have a ranked win all season? No thanks.

“Okay but I’m sure Miami will be the team to come out of the ACC.” The same Miami team that lost to Louisville? I don’t think so.

The Cardinals are the clear-cut favorites to win the ACC and are, without a doubt the best, most complete team.

It starts at the top. USC transfer Miller Moss has thrown for just shy of 2,000 yards through nine games and he’s complemented that with a 65.3% completion percentage and 11 touchdowns.

The rest of the offense has been just as electric. The running back duo of Issac Brown and Keyjuan Brown has run very well, with Issac Brown running for over 780 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. He’s also scored five times.

Keyjuan has run less but hasn’t been worse by any means. He’s run for 321 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, while scoring six times.

In the pass game, the Cardinals have relied heavily on Chris Bell. He leads the team in just about every statistical category. He has 743 yards on 56 receptions and six touchdowns through the first nine games.

On the defensive side of the ball, TJ Quinn has been the X-factor for Louisville. He leads the team in total tackles with 59. He also has two interceptions to go with that.

Louisville's CFP odds are the highest by any ACC team, making them the favorite to represent the ACC in the College Football Playoffs.

The Cardinals continue to climb in the right direction, and as their dreams draw closer, the pressure is going to intensify. Louisville's game in Dallas against SMU is going to be its biggest game of the season.

They don't have any room for error right now, but this rushing attack is hitting its stride at the perfect time.

They have Cal this weekend and then Clemson, SMU and Kentucky to end the season. Louisville’s path to the CFP is as bright as it’s been all year.

Now, they just have to take care of business and win their last four games and then everybody will know just how legit the Cardinals are.

Sawyer Bogaty is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at sgb5468@psu.edu.