Week 0 is here, and ESPN’s Football Power Index already has its eye on Louisville’s 2026 opener.
The Cardinals will kick off the season against No. 9 Ole Miss on Sunday, Sept. 6, in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Matchup Predictor leans heavily toward the Rebels. ESPN gives Ole Miss a 69.1% chance to win that game, making Louisville the underdog right out of the gate.
That opening matchup is the only game-by-game loss the FPI is currently projecting for Louisville. The system still pegs the Cardinals for an 8-5 finish overall, and it gives them an 82.0% chance of reaching at least six wins.
Louisville’s strength of schedule comes in at No. 58.
The Cardinals enter the season at No. 27 in the FPI, while the top five spots belong to Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon and Georgia.
ESPN describes the Football Power Index as “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is.
Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily.
FPI data from seasons prior to 2019 may not be complete.”
As for the opener, Ole Miss is ranked No. 14 in the FPI and projected for a 7-5 record. Louisville is 0-1 all-time vs Ole Miss.
In Other News...
Louisville Just Crossed A New Line In Its Revenue Push
Louisville is taking another step deeper into the revenue-sharing era, expanding its partnership with L&N Federal Credit Union in a move that will put sponsored jersey patches on the football and volleyball uniforms beginning in the 2026-27 season. The credit union is already a familiar presence around the program, with naming rights on the football field since 2023 and the volleyball arena since 2019, so this latest wrinkle simply broadens an existing relationship rather than introducing a brand-new one.
The timing matters because the jersey patch idea only became possible after NCAA approval opened the door for that kind of sponsorship. For Louisville, the arrangement is about more than signage or branding, it is another attempt to create additional revenue for the athletics department at a moment when schools are looking for new ways to keep up. The details of how much this will help remain to be seen, but the Cardinals have clearly decided this is a lane worth driving into. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Has Ground To Make Up With Elite Guard Target
Louisville has stayed in the mix with a talented trio of five-star guards, and that alone is worth noting as the program keeps pushing for backcourt help on the recruiting trail. Reese Alston already made an official visit to campus, King Gibson is set to be there on September 4, and the Cardinals remain part of the conversation as they try to stay visible with some of the countrys best perimeter prospects.
Cayden Daughtry is the name that still stands out, though, because the Cardinals have more ground to cover there than with the others. The guard, who has been ranked as high as No. 3 overall, has already lined up a heavy slate of official visits elsewhere, and Louisville is still waiting to get one on the books. For a staff trying to make a strong impression in a crowded race, getting that date scheduled would be the next key step. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville's Backfield Could Carry The Offense If One Concern Holds Up
Louisville enters the season with one of the more intriguing backfields in the country, and the Cardinals have reason to believe it can be the engine of the offense. Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown headline the group, giving Louisville a pair of backs the staff views as capable of carrying a heavy load, while the plan appears to be more of a shared approach designed to keep both fresh and effective over the long haul.
Marquis Davis, Braxton Jennings and Lekhy Thompkins add the kind of depth that can help make that plan work, with each offering a different element to the rotation. The biggest question is not whether Louisville has talent in the backfield, but whether the Cardinals can keep the arrangement healthy and productive enough to let the ground game set the tone week after week. [Read more 🡒]