Louisville is keeping its place in the preseason conversation as the Ole Miss opener draws closer, and On3 Sports’ Brett McMurphy has the Cardinals sitting at No. 21 in his preseason top 25.
That’s another bit of recognition for Jeff Brohm’s team after an offseason that has brought plenty of attention their way. Louisville was left out of the Coaches Poll preseason rankings, which caught many fans off guard, but the Cardinals have shown up in plenty of other preseason lists as Week 1 nears.
Brohm said last year that when Louisville opened 3-0 and still wasn’t ranked, the polls would sort themselves out. That attitude still fits here. Even so, the Cardinals have a real argument to be in the mix, and McMurphy’s ranking reflects that.
Louisville has landed in a similar neighborhood across several other preseason evaluations. ESPN’s Greg McElroy has the Cardinals at No.
23, Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt has them at No. 19, and Josh Pate’s power ratings place them as high as No. 17.
The opener gives Louisville a chance to make an immediate statement. The Cardinals meet No.
9 Ole Miss in a huge Week 1 matchup, and an upset would give Louisville a strong case to move into the top 25. Ole Miss brings two preseason All-Americans into the game in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy.
Louisville has its own preseason All-Americans, too. On offense, Isaac Brown headlines the group after a standout season in which he averaged 8.8 yards per carry and finished with 101 carries for 884 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. On defense, edge rusher Clev Lubin earned the nod after posting a team-high 8.5 sacks along with 59 tackles, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.
The Cardinals enter the season with high expectations and a real shot at the ACC title. A No. 21 spot in a respected reporter’s preseason poll is another sign that Louisville has a chance to be special this year, and it only adds to the stakes for that Week 1 trip against Ole Miss.
Elsewhere in the ACC, Miami checks in at No. 8 and SMU is ranked No. 16.
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The outside buzz has started to follow. College basketball analyst Aaron Torres was notably high on Louisvilles collection of talent, saying Trimble could help push the Cardinals into top-five territory nationally. For a fan base that has been waiting for a reason to believe again, the intrigue now is whether all that new talent can come together quickly enough to turn preseason praise into something much louder once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]