Louisville has spent three weeks forcing its way into the ACC conversation, and Saturday’s 41-31 win over SMU only turned up the volume. The Cardinals are 2-1, ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, and suddenly looking like much more than a team that was supposed to live in Miami’s shadow.
That’s the big shift here. All offseason, the ACC spotlight belonged to the Hurricanes.
Miami was the unanimous favorite to win the league and get the conference’s College Football Playoff bid. But after three weeks, Louisville has made that picture a lot less tidy.
The Cardinals first grabbed attention in Week 1 against Ole Miss. Lincoln Kienholz sparked a second-half push and helped Louisville tie the game with less than two minutes left before the Rebels pulled out a three-point win. That result aged even better when Ole Miss later upset LSU and climbed to No. 4 in the country.
Now Louisville has added another eye-catching result with its win over SMU, and the buzz is getting louder. The offense has been the headline, with Kienholz directing a unit that looks dangerous every time it touches the ball. On CBS Sports College Football, Marcello made the case that the Cardinals are becoming a real problem for Miami.
“Louisville best running back tandem in the country, and they are only going to get better,” stated Marcello. “The one thing is, if the defense does get better, this is going to be a team that I think could actually challenge Miami.
Because Lincoln Kienholz has become one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC, and I would argue one of the top 20, maybe top 15, quarterbacks in the country, and he is just now getting into his third or fourth game as a full-time starter. So, I love this Louisville team.”
Kienholz has been central to that rise. Through three games, he has thrown for 816 yards and six touchdowns without turning the ball over. He’s also added 153 rushing yards and leads the team with four rushing touchdowns.
His top pass-catching options have been Lawayne McCoy, who has three touchdowns and 226 receiving yards, and Tre Richardson, who has two total touchdowns and 243 receiving yards.
The ground game has been just as impressive. Louisville has an elite trio in Isaac Brown, a preseason All-American with 164 yards; Keyjuan Brown, who posted a career-high 163 rushing yards against SMU; and Kienholz, who keeps adding another layer to the offense with his legs.
The Cardinals and Hurricanes do not play each other in the regular season, but if they wind up meeting in Charlotte, Louisville is making sure Miami knows it would not be a stroll. As the source of that warning points out, this team is physical, fast, and explosive.
Louisville gets Wake Forest next Saturday, the same opponent Miami handled 33-20 this past weekend at noon local time.
In Other News...
Louisville Suddenly Has A Real Shot At Program History
Louisvilles win over SMU gave the program a boost it had been waiting for, and it came with some meaningful firsts attached. It was the Cardinals first victory over a top-25 opponent this season, and it also marked their first-ever win against SMU, a result that adds real weight to a team already building a case around its offense and the play of quarterback Lincoln Kienholz.
The bigger picture has started to shift, too, as one national projection now has Louisville in the mix for a 2026 College Football Playoff berth. With the schedule easing up on the back end and the Cardinals showing they can handle a quality opponent, the door has opened to something that once seemed far off for this program. Whether they can keep that path clear is another question, but Louisville has at least given itself a shot at a season that could change how the program is viewed. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Is Forcing A Playoff Conversation Fans Have Wanted
Three games into the season, Louisville has done more than just build an early resume. The Cardinals have put together a fast-starting offense behind quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and running backs Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown, showing enough balance and explosiveness to make people around the sport take notice. After already seeing two ranked opponents, Louisville has at least given its supporters reason to think this group belongs in bigger October conversations than it was getting a month ago.
The respect is starting to extend beyond the fan base, too. College football analyst David Pollack recently singled out Louisville as a team worth watching in the playoff picture, pointing to both the offense and the schedule as reasons the Cardinals should be in the mix. It is still early, and the season will supply tougher tests, but Louisville has clearly reached the point where its path is no longer being discussed as a hopeful theory. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville's Offensive Line Might Be Peaking At The Perfect Time
Louisvilles win over SMU was built in the trenches, where the offensive line helped clear the way for 265 rushing yards and kept the quarterback clean all night. It was the kind of performance that showed how much the group can shape the Cardinals ceiling when the blocking is sharp, the communication is sound and the run game stays on schedule.
Cason Henry said the line has stayed disciplined and still sees room to grow, which is a promising sign this late in the season. The encouraging part for Louisville is that the group is no longer just holding together, it is starting to settle in, with pieces that had been unavailable for much of the year now back in the mix and the unit finally getting a chance to build some continuity. [Read more 🡒]