Louisville heads into Week 4 with real momentum after opening its 2026 ACC slate with a 41-31 win over SMU, and the Cardinals will try to keep that roll going against Wake Forest on Saturday.
Wake Forest is coming off a much tougher assignment in its first conference game, dropping a 33-20 decision to Miami. The Demon Deacons now get a chance to make a statement of their own, but they’ll have to do it against a Louisville team that has looked far sharper than the market may be giving it credit for.
One of the biggest storylines inside the Louisville backfield is the split between Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown. Isaac Brown remains the team’s No. 1 running back, but he has opened the season with just 164 rushing yards and 4.2 yards per carry.
Keyjuan Brown has been the more explosive option so far, piling up 231 yards on 21 fewer carries and averaging 12.8 yards per rush. If that production holds, Louisville may not have much choice but to lean more heavily on Keyjuan.
The numbers behind Louisville’s offense are hard to ignore. Even with a schedule that has not exactly been soft, the Cardinals are averaging 7.0 yards per snap, which ranks 13th in the country. That’s a dangerous matchup for a Wake Forest defense that sits 49th in opponent yards per play and has allowed 5.1 yards per snap.
There is also a warning flag around Wake Forest’s cover against Miami last week. The fact that the Demon Deacons hung in enough to cash may look better on paper than it did on the field, especially with the Hurricanes fading badly in the second half.
The call here is to lay the points with Louisville.
Pick: Louisville -12.5 (-112) via Caesars Sportsbook
In Other News...
Wake Forest Faces A Brutal Road Test For Gio Lopez
Louisville and Wake Forest arrive at this ACC matchup with similar early-season rsums and plenty to sort out before the league race settles in. The Cardinals are 2-1 and have leaned on a productive rushing attack while playing clean football, and the Demon Deacons are also 2-1 after showing they can hang around in competitive games. Both staffs have already spent the week talking up the challenges ahead, which is usually a sign the opener to conference play is going to demand a little more than just basic September execution.
For Wake Forest, the bigger concern is keeping Gio Lopez upright against a Louisville front that has been steady and disruptive without giving the ball away. The Cardinals have yet to put themselves in obvious trouble with turnovers, and that kind of discipline can make life uncomfortable for an offense still trying to settle in around its quarterback. How Wake Forest handles pressure will go a long way toward determining whether this turns into a manageable road test or a long afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Louisvilles Fast Start Is Raising A Much Bigger Question
Louisvilles early-season picture has been a mix of promise and unfinished business, with the Cardinals showing enough offensive balance to keep piling up points while still leaving room for concern on the other side of the ball. Multiple running backs helped drive the attack, quarterback Kienholz added his own key moments, and the teams 2-1 start has already included a close loss to a top-ranked opponent, a reminder that the margin for error is thin even when the offense is humming.
The bigger question now is whether those fast starts can hold up once the pressure rises and the schedule keeps tightening, beginning with Wake Forest. Louisville has already lived through a game in which it gave up too much on the ground but still found ways to survive, so the next step is less about flash and more about consistency. If the Cardinals are going to turn this start into something bigger, they will need the same offensive variety and a defense that can keep making the right stops when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Kaleb Beasley May Be Giving Louisville's Secondary New Life
Jeff Brohm made it clear Louisville needed more from its secondary, and the response in the SMU game was hard to ignore. Kaleb Beasley was at the center of it, popping up all over the field for a defense that needed a jolt, and his play immediately changed the tone around a unit that had been under the microscope.
Safeties coach Brandon Sharp sounded encouraged by what he saw, treating Beasleys outing as a sign the group may be finding some momentum at last. The challenge now is whether that carries over to Wake Forest, where dual-threat quarterback Gio Lopez and wide receiver Carlos Hernandez are the next problems waiting to test whether Louisvilles secondary has really turned a corner. [Read more 🡒]