LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville’s 2026 season looked pretty good in the first round of CPU simulations, but the full 25-run exercise in EA Sports College Football 27 painted a much broader picture.
The Cardinals’ average finish across those sims settled at 9.68-4, with a 6.56-2.44 average mark in ACC play. Louisville landed in the rankings 14 times, and the highest finish of the bunch was No.
- On the other end of the spectrum, the results swung from letdowns to one season that ended with a national title.
That range is the whole point of the exercise. Earlier in the week, the Louisville preseason CFB26 preview series had already run through the Cardinals’ 2026 schedule once in the game, and that version ended 9-3 overall with an 8-1 ACC record. Louisville lost the opener to Ole Miss, ripped off nine straight wins, then dropped the final two games against Pitt and at Kentucky.
But with Louisville drawing real-world attention as a possible ACC and College Football Playoff contender, the next step was to push the simulation further. So the entire season was run 25 times in dynasty mode, and the results came back all over the map.
Louisville reached the College Football Playoff in nine of the 25 simulations: Sim 1, 2, 7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 23 and 24. In those playoff trips, the Cardinals went 3-2 in the first round, 0-1 in the Cotton Bowl, 4-0 in the Fiesta Bowl, 1-1 in the Orange Bowl, 1-1 in the Peach Bowl, 1-2 in the Sugar Bowl and 1-1 in the national championship game.
The Cards also logged a 22-10 overall bowl record. Outside the playoff, Louisville went 3-1 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, 1-0 in the Gasparilla Bowl, 3-0 in the Holiday Bowl, 1-0 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl and 2-1 in the Sun Bowl.
The scoring averages were strong enough to match the team’s upside in the sims. Louisville averaged 32.42 points per game on offense and allowed 22.28 points per game on defense.
Across the 25 seasons, the simulations also tracked ACC winners, national champions and Heisman Trophy winners, underscoring just how much the game’s results varied from one run to the next.
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Pat Kelsey Is Suddenly In The Mix For A Massive Guard Win
Louisvilles recruiting momentum under Pat Kelsey has started to show up in the 2027 class, where the Cardinals are working through a list of top guard targets and trying to make an early impression on one of the nations most coveted backcourt prospects. The latest buzz has centered on Cayden Daughtry, a highly regarded point guard who is in the middle of competition at the 2026 Nike EYBL Peach Jam while schools continue to circle.
Daughtry has said Louisville is making a strong push, and that matters because this is the kind of recruitment that can shape a class for years if the Cardinals stay in the conversation. Tennessee is also among the programs he is hearing from most, so Louisville is not alone in the chase, but the fact that the Cardinals are already in that mix gives Kelseys staff a real foothold as the process moves toward Daughtrys next list of schools. [Read more 🡒]
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Louisville has clearly stayed engaged, too, with Pat Kelsey making time to see Wright in person and keep the connection warm. Wright, for his part, is paying attention to how the rest of the class comes together and remains invested in what the Cardinals are building around him. He is also planning to get back to campus again this fall, another sign that the relationship is still moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Fans Are Already Rallying Around This Hometown 4-Star
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Lindsay, a Louisville native, has become especially easy for fans to latch onto because the local connection gives the pursuit a different feel than a typical national recruiting battle. He has picked up multiple offers and drawn attention from a long list of programs, but the reaction around Louisville has been loud enough to suggest the Cardinals are not just another school in the chase. For a fan base looking for the next in-state star to rally around, this is the kind of recruitment that can gain momentum fast. [Read more 🡒]