Louisville’s second loss of the season may have done more than knock the Cardinals down a peg - it could push them right out of the AP Top 25 altogether.
The Cardinals were stunned by Wake Forest, 30-27, in a game that flipped on them after halftime. Louisville entered as a 12.5-point favorite at home, but the offense that had looked explosive earlier in the year went quiet when it mattered most. After the teams were tied after three, Louisville missed a 42-yard field goal with 2:29 left and then failed to score at all in the fourth quarter.
That kind of collapse is hard to absorb, and it comes with real consequences in the rankings. Louisville dropped to 2-2 after what looks like its first bad loss of the season, and that kind of result usually gets punished by voters. The fact that the Cardinals lost to an unranked Wake Forest team at home only strengthens the case for a steep fall.
There’s also some collateral damage elsewhere in the poll picture. Ole Miss was blown out by Florida, 52-28, which hurts Louisville’s first loss as well. But even with that result in the mix, the Cardinals’ own showing was too damaging to ignore.
Here’s how the AP Top 25 could look heading into Week 5 of the 2026-27 season:
Texas Longhorns (1)
Georgia Bulldogs (2)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3)
Indiana Hoosiers (5)
Miami Hurricanes (6)
Ohio State Buckeyes (7)
Alabama Crimson Tide (8)
BYU Cougars (9)
Florida Gators (21)
Ole Miss Rebels (4)
LSU Tigers (10)
Texas Tech Red Raiders (11)
Utah Utes (15)
Iowa Hawkeyes (17)
Oregon Ducks (20)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (24)
USC Trojans (12)
Tennessee Volunteers (14)
SMU Mustangs (22)
Penn State Nittany Lions (13)
Houston Cougars (25)
Michigan Wolverines (18)
Oklahoma State Cowboys (NR)
Kentucky Wildcats (NR)
Missouri Tigers (19)
Oklahoma State looks ready to move in after beating Oregon and stacking up three straight wins, including a road win over West Virginia. Kentucky, meanwhile, is projected to jump into the top 25 for the first time and pass Louisville in the process.
For the Cardinals, the message is simple: the season is far from over, but games like this can wreck momentum fast. If Louisville wants to climb back into the rankings and stay in the ACC title conversation, it has to handle the non-powerhouse ACC opponents better than it did against Wake Forest. This one left a mark.
In Other News...
Louisville Heads Into NC State With No Room For Another Sloppy Letdown
Jeff Brohm spent part of his weekly press conference this week laying out the kind of details Louisville can no longer afford to gloss over as it heads to NC State. The Cardinals have been dealing with the usual wear and tear that comes with conference play, but Brohms focus was on the broader issues that have shown up in recent weeks, from penalties to defensive lapses to the need for more steadiness up front on the offensive line.
Carter-Finley Stadium only adds to the challenge, and Brohm made clear that Louisville will need to be sharp in a noisy road setting where communication matters. He also pointed to injuries at safety as part of the equation, underscoring how much the Cardinals have to clean up if they want to avoid another flat performance against a league opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Suddenly Has A Troubling QB Question Before A Key Road Test
Louisvilles quarterback picture got a lot murkier heading into a tricky road trip after Jeff Brohm said Lincoln Kienholz is dealing with an unspecified injury. Kienholz was hurt late in the win over Wake Forest, and Brohm now says he will be a game-time decision for the trip to North Carolina State, leaving the Cardinals to sort through an important position on short notice.
If Kienholz cant go, Louisville does at least have some options in Briggs Cherry and Davin Wydner, but the timing is less than ideal for a team trying to keep its momentum intact. Road games can expose any uncertainty under center, and with the status still unsettled, the Cardinals are suddenly waiting on one of the biggest decisions of the week before they even get to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Is Already In A Crucial Battle For A Top Local Guard
Pat Kelsey is already working well ahead of schedule on the 2028 class, and one of the names Louisville is prioritizing is local four-star shooting guard Jordan Mitchell. The Louisville native, now at Link Academy in Missouri, has become an early focal point for the Cardinals as they try to keep top in-state talent from getting away, especially with Mitchell already drawing attention as one of the more highly regarded young recruits in the country.
Mitchells stock is only going to keep rising, and Louisville has made sure it stays in the mix by maintaining steady contact and leaning on the appeal of being close to home. He already has multiple offers and a growing list of programs involved, which is why this recruitment feels important even this early - if the Cardinals want to land a headline local prospect, they have to stay aggressive now rather than wait for the battle to fully form later. [Read more 🡒]