Let's take a look at Louisville football.
Best / Worse Case Record for :
Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | Boston College | Notre Dame | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Virginia Tech | NC State | Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Wake Forest
Louisville
Louisville was the ACC’s most pleasant surprise in 2019. Coming off a 2018 that saw the Cardinals be one of the worst teams in ACC history, Scott Satterfield came in his first season as head coach and led Louisville to a 8-5 season with a Music City Bowl over Mississippi State. From the first moment they stepped on the field in Game 1 with Notre Dame, you knew this Louisville team could be much improved over the previous year. The turnaround was quick and more stunning than anyone expected. 2020 has the potential to be something special for Louisville.
Will Go 10-1 (8-1) if:
The defense can start to catch up with the offense. Louisville’s offense should be fantastic in 2020. QB Michale Cunningham, RB Javian Hawkins, and WR Tutu Atwell will form one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the ACC in 2020. The Cardinals are going to put up tons of points. The defense last season gave up 33.4 points a game, and ranked 102 in the NCAA. The Cardinals went 2-5 in games in games they gave up 35 or more points, and 6-0 in their others. They will likely be favored in at least 8 of the games they play, and only against Notre Dame will they be decided underdog. The Cards also avoid Clemson, and UNC. 10-1 is not out of the question.
Will Go 6-5 (5-4) if:
Louisville loses to Miami and Pittsburgh in weeks 2 and 3. The Cardinals host Miami and go to Pittsburgh in their games 2 and 3. These are critical swing games for Louisville, and Miami and Pitt are more than capable of knocking of Louisville. If the Cardinals lose these two, I would expect it will be due to their defense that couldn’t slow the Canes or Panthers down. Then the concerns will grow against certainly Notre Dame and games against Florida State, Virginia Tech, at Virginia, at Boston College, and Wake Forest look much more problematic.
