Louisville is starting to draw real national buzz as a College Football Playoff contender, and the Cardinals are showing up on more than one list.
Pro Football Focus recently slotted Louisville among eight teams that could reach the playoff for the first time this season. The group also includes USC, BYU, Florida, Missouri, Utah, Houston and Navy. Louisville was picked by league media to finish third in the ACC, but PFF pointed to the way the Cardinals attacked the transfer portal as a major reason for the optimism.
“The ACC rarely offers the week-to-week depth of the SEC or Big Ten, meaning one standout side can quickly separate itself. Louisville has assembled a roster capable of doing exactly that,” Daire Carragher wrote.
That roster is expected to be driven by one of the country’s stronger running games, while Ohio State quarterback transfer Lincoln Kienholz takes over on offense. Kienholz brings talent, but not much game experience. On the other side of the ball, Louisville returns important veterans and has added depth across the defense.
“Right now I like our football team,” UofL head coach Jeff Brohm said during the ACC Kickoff. I think they worked really hard, they prepared.
We've tried to identify some things to work on this off-season that we have not been great at in the past couple years, and we're focusing on those. To this point, I like where we're at.”
Brohm also pointed back to last season, when Louisville finished 9-4 and dropped three home games by a combined seven points, including two in overtime. For him, the key is turning that kind of narrow margin into wins.
“We've got to be able to be consistent every week and play to that level and win close games,” he said. “That's always a great challenge. But when you play good football teams, you've got to win in the small areas and you've got to make more plays than they do and you have to coach well.”
PFF isn’t the only outlet putting Louisville in the playoff conversation. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt also included the Cardinals on a 10-team list of programs likely to make their CFP debut in the 12-team era this season.
His group also featured Iowa, Washington, Houston, Arizona, Utah, Michigan, USC, BYU and LSU. Michigan, Washington and LSU had already reached the playoff before the expansion.
Klatt’s case for Louisville included the idea that the Cardinals “won the ACC schedule lottery” by avoiding Miami and Clemson this fall.
The updated ESPN FPI gives Louisville a 13.4% chance to make the College Football Playoff.
The Cardinals are set to open fall camp on August 6, and their season begins Sept. 6 against Ole Miss in Nashville, Tenn.
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Louisvilles ACC Hopes Ride On Jeff Brohms New Offensive Core
With the season opener against Ole Miss looming, Louisville is trying to sort out a revamped offense that will lean heavily on new faces and a few established pieces. The Cardinals brought in transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz to help steer the unit, while Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown give Jeff Brohm a backfield that should provide some balance as the staff works through its early-season answers.
The receiving group is where the intrigue really starts to build, with transfers Lawayne McCoy and Tre Richardson stepping into spots created by major departures. Richardson, in particular, arrives with the chance to become a central part of the passing game, and Louisville will need that kind of immediate production if it wants to keep pace in ACC play after the opener sets the tone. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Fall Camp Puts Kienholz And New Targets Under Pressure
Early August brings the kind of urgency that makes fall camp matter, and Louisville is leaning into it as it starts building toward the 2026 opener against Ole Miss. The Cardinals are using these practices to sort out position battles, deepen a defense that needs reliable answers, and get a clearer picture of who can create offense when the lights come on.
Lincoln Kienholz sits at the center of that conversation, with the quarterback room offering one of camps biggest evaluation points. Louisville also needs new receiving options to come forward, and Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy and TreyShun Hurry are among the names being watched closely as the staff tries to determine who can become the go-to targets before the season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Could Be Counting On A Quiet Local Linebacker Soon
Jacob Smith has been the kind of local prospect programs like to point to when they talk about development and patience. A redshirt sophomore linebacker from Somerset, Kentucky, who starred at Corbin High School and earned all-state honors, Smith arrived in the state with a strong reputation and the appeal of staying close to home. His path to this point has been quieter than his high school rsum suggested, but there is still a sense that his best football is ahead of him.
Smith is aiming for a bigger role in 2026, with the hope that he can work his way into the linebacker rotation and give Louisville another homegrown option on defense. For now, the intrigue is less about what he has already done and more about what kind of opportunity opens up next, especially for a player whose first two seasons have not yet produced the kind of extended run that would answer all the questions. [Read more 🡒]