LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Spring practice for the Louisville football program is well in the rear view mirror, and the countdown to kickoff has officially begun.
There’s still a lot that can transpire in the 114 days between now and the Cardinals’ season opener against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Aug. 30. However, Louisville Cardinals On SI decided to take a shot at giving a way-too-early prediction at Louisville’s record for the 2025 football season.
Related: Who’s In, Who’s Out and Who’s Back for Louisville Football in 2025
Take a look below at our game-by-game predictions, along with a final season win-loss record:
Last Meeting: Louisville won 30-3 on Sept. 11, 2021 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
All-Time Series: Louisville leads 20-7-1
Summary: EKU might be an FCS school, but they are coming off of a solid season by their standards. Sure, they might have last their two FBS games by a combined 87-7, but they still went 8-4 in the regular season to earn an at-large bid for the FCS Playoffs. It might have ended with a first round loss to Villanova, but still.
As you can imagine, head coach Walt Wells’ squad is going to look a tad different in 2025. Starting quarterback Matt Morrissey and running back Joshua Carter both graduated, while leading tackler linebacker Maddox Marcellus transferred to Virginia. A few solid defensive pieces remain, such as linebacker Braden Sullivan and defensive lineman Darrian Baker, but it’s still a defense that ranked 81st in the FCS in 2024.
I won’t give a super extensive breakdown here. Both Mississippi State and Western Kentucky laid the hammer down on the Colonels last season to start the 2024 season, and I fully expect Louisville to do the same in 2025.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 52, Eastern Kentucky 7.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 34-10 on Nov. 5, 2022 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
All-Time Series: Louisville leads 1-0
Summary: Curt Cignetti might have made the jump to Indiana, but James Madison was still a very good team in 2024. Led by first-year head coach Bob Chesney, the Dukes went 9-4, including a barn-burning 70-50 win at North Carolina and a 27-17 win over Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Offensively, JMU was good last season at 407.6 yards per game (47th in FBS), but there are some questions here. Starting QB Alonza Barnett might not be available for the first part of the 2025 season after suffering a knee injury towards the end of last season, so Louisville will likely face either UNLV transfer Matthew Sluka or Richmond transfer Camden Coleman here. Additionally, their top four wide receivers from last season are all gone, and the position as a whole is almost completely new. The Dukes return their top two running backs in George Pettaway and Wayne Knight, who are also their two leading returning receivers, so they might lean on the run early.
James Madison was carried primarily by their defense, as their 321.8 yards per game was 23rd nationally, not to mention their 17 interceptions led the FBS while their 29 turnovers forced was third. However, they lost five of their six All-Sun Belt defenders to graduation or the portal or graduation. The do bring back safety Jacob Thomas, as well as other impact guys like linebacker Trent Hendrick and cornerback D.J. Barksdale, but this is a unit that was hit hard by attrition.
Chesney is clearly built to keep James Madison on their winning ways, and isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with power conference competition. But between injuries and modern transfer portal movement, he’s got a tough task on his hand right out of the gates. The Dukes are probably better than some ACC teams are right now, but Louisville should be able to capitalize early.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 35, James Madison 21.
Last Meeting: First Meeting
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Summary: Bowling Green had a decent 2024 season, going 7-6 overall and nearly upsetting Penn State in Happy Valley. However, with spring ball about to start, head coach Scot Loeffler left to become the QBs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Going the notable former player route, the Falcons would later hire former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George to take over.
BGSU’s offense, which already was just 77th nationally at 377.4 yards per game, will look a lot different. Consensus All-American tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is off the NFL, their one-two punch at running back in Terion Stewart and Jaison Patterson has moved on, and former Mizzou and Indiana QB Connor Bazelak finally graduated. Former Notre Dame/Arizona State/Mizzou QB Drew Pyne will take over under center, and he’ll have guys like former Florida tight end Arlis Boardingham and returning wideout Rahkeem Smith to throw to, but it’s hard to imagine this offense taking a big step forward from last season.
Last season, like James Madison, the Falcons’s defense is what kept them in games. Their 331.3 yards allowed per game ranked 32nd in the FBS, while their 185.4 passing yards allowed was 24th. The only problem? Because of the graduation and the portal (the latter of which was greatly enhanced because of a late coaching change), BGSU is losing a lot of bodies from last year’s defense. How many exactly? Try 15 of your top 18 defenders by total tackles. George and his staff went defense-heavy in the portal, but at that point, there were not a ton of high-quality options for them to bring in, even for Bowling Green’s standards.
Offensively, there is *some* potential for Bowling Green to move the ball on Louisville, especially since George was able to guide Tennessee State to the FCS Playoffs in 2024. Conversely, there’s a very good chance Cardinals will absolutely light up a Falcons defense that lost a ton of veterans. Especially since they come off of a bye week.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 42, Bowling Green 14.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 37-9 on Nov. 23, 2024 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
All-Time Series: Pitt leads 11-10
Summary: “A Tale of Two Halves” is the perfect way to describe Pitt’s 2024 season. Pat Narduzzi’s bunch started the season at 7-0 and ranked as high as the No. 18 team in the nation, only for them to lose their final six games – including a six-overtime 48-46 loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
Offensively, Pitt has a chance to be pretty good in 2025, as they bring back a handful of contributors to an offense that put up 32.9 points (31st in FBS) and 408.7 yards (44th in FBS) per game. Eli Holstein was a young revelation at quarterback, All-American running back Desmond Reid is second nationally in yards from scrimmage among returners (Oregon RB Makhi Hughes), and they have a solid core of returning wideouts. The only thing potentially holding this group back is offensive line play, which ranked in the bottom-10 in both sacks and TFLs allowed last year.
Despite Narduzzi being known for his defensive prowess, the other side of the line of scrimmage is a vastly different story. Despite ranking fourth and sixth nationally in TFLs and sacks, respectively, the Panthers’s dreadful secondary resulted in them posting the No. 81 total and No. 91 scoring defense. The good news? Pitt’s four most impactful players in the front seven, including First-Team All-ACC linebacker Kyle Louis, are all returning. On top of that, three of their four starting defensive backs also return (sans Donovan McMillan), but this group will have take a step forward.
This game has shootout potential written all over it. Pitt has a very underrated offense and will be at home (plus coming off of a bye), whereas Louisville has a top-three offense in the ACC. This will come down to whose defense can make more stops. While the Cards have questions of their own on that side of the ball, until the Panthers can prove theirs has turned a corner on the back end, they get the edge.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 38, Pitt 31.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 24-20 on Sept. 1, 2023 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.
All-Time Series: Louisville leads 8-5
Summary: Virginia did take a slight step forward in 2024, but that’s mainly a testament to how lackluster the first two years of the Tony Elliott era were. After starting the year at 4-1 to show some promise, the Cavaliers proceeded to lose six of their final seven to finish at 5-7 and miss out on a bowl. Elliott’s seat is starting to warm up.
Virginia’s offense was barely ahead of their defense, but this was still a unit that only put up 22.7 points (107th in FBS) and 360.9 yards (93rd in FBS) per game. That being said, the Cavaliers did upgrade at quarterback, going from turnover-prone Anthony Colandrea to North Texas transfer Chandler Morris. However, he doesn’t exactly have the best supporting cast. Purdue transfer Jahmal Edrine is a solid WR1 and running back Xavier Brown is capable of taking on a larger role after being a backup, but no other offensive skill position player for the Hoos very proven or super productive. Not to mention the fact that UVA might have had the worst offensive line in the ACC last season, though they did beef up this unit in the portal.
Defensively, far too often, Virginia just let teams march down the field, winding up with the 101st-ranked defense at 408.3 yards allowed per game. While it’s hard to get worse, they could be in line for a bounce back on that side of the ball. A handful of impact players such as linebacker Kam Robinson and safety Antonio Clary are coming back, while Elliott and Co. have picked up a few solid defenders in the portal, like UNLV’s Fisher Camac. How it all comes together remains to be seen, but there’s a chance they could at least be a middle-of-the-road defense in the ACC.
Elliott is heading into a crucial year three as the head coach at Virginia, so you know he’s motivated to turn things around. There are some pieces to like for Virginia on both sides of the ball, and they could make headway against fellow bottom half teams in the ACC. However, taking on a team like Louisville, especially on the road, is likely too tall of a task for a team with so many questions and new pieces.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 35, Virginia 17.
Last Meeting: Miami won 52-45 on Oct. 19, 2024 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
All-Time Series: Miami leads 12-4-1
Summary: Last season, Miami was not only deep in the race to get to the ACC Championship Game, but also the College Football Playoff after starting the season 9-0. However, the Mario Cristobal-led Hurricanes then promptly lost two of their final three regular season games to end both discussions, and also dropped the Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. Iowa State to finish 10-3.
It’s no secret what made Miami such a force for 75 percent of the season. Led by Heisman Trophy finalist QB Cam Ward, the Canes finished No. 1 in both scoring (43.9 PPG) and total (537.2 YPG) offense. While Ward is now off to the NFL as the No. 1 overall draft pick, stepping in at QB from The U is Georgia transfer Carson Beck. While his struggles last season were well-documented, he’s still an upper tier signal caller in college football. While Beck might not have a dominant WR1 like Ward had, he has a plethora of options to throw the ball to, such as LSU transfer C.J. Daniels, BYU transfer Keelan Marion, and Tulane transfer Alex Bauman. Add to the mix one of the better offensive lines in the ACC, plus a run game that brings back Mark Fletcher Jr., and Miami should still have a prolific offense.
What eventually caught up to Miami last season is their defense, which forced their offense to routinely have to play from behind. They weren’t the worst defense in the ACC per se, but giving up 327.2 YPG (27th in FBS) plus 25.3 PPG (70th in FBS) eventually came back to bite them. That being said, this is still a talented unit overall. This is especially true in the front seven, with guys defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, plus linebacker Wesley Bissainthe coming back. In an effort to shore up their secondary, Miami also hit the portal hard here, landing impact DBs such as Washington State’s Ethan O’Conner and Michigan State’s Charles Brantley. The U also fired Lance Guidry and poached Corey Hetherman from Minnesota as their new defensive coordinator.
This will be Louisville’s first massive test of the 2025 season. Cristobal is still a subpar game day coach, and Miami might not be as star-studded as they were in 2024, but there’s no denying that the Canes will still be immensely talented this season. Both teams will be coming off of byes, but with this game taking place on the road on a Friday night, I believe this is where UofL suffers their first ACC loss of the season
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Miami 35, Louisville 31.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 31-27 on Oct. 25, 2024 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
All-Time Series: Louisville leads 10-7
Summary: Year one of the Bill O’Brien era up at Boston College had some peaks and valleys, but it was overall a decent year for them. The Eagles started 4-1 and ranked as high as No. 24, went on a three-game losing streak, then closed out the regular season winning three of their final four before losing the Pinstripe Bowl vs. Nebraska.
While BC’s offense wasn’t anything to write home about last year, putting up just 365.4 yards (90th in FBS) and 28.2 points (67th in FBS) per game, there is some contunuity. Grayson James took over as the starting quarterback roughly halfway through the 2024 season, and the offense certainly performed better with him under center. The Eagles’ top-two wideouts in Lewis Bond and Reed Harris are also running it back, as go-to tight end Jeremiah Franklin. The main snag with the offense is that their offensive line was just okay, and they lose their top two running backs. Though Jordan McDonald and Turbo Richard are a solid RB tandem.
Defensively, Boston College was very underrated, and could be in line for improvement. One one hand, they will no longer have the services of Donovan Ezeiruaku at their disposal, as well as other top end pieces like Cam Horsley and Kam Arnold. On the other, three of their four leading tacklers, including leader K.P. Price are coming back, and they bring back a lot of rotational players and pseudo-starters. Already a top-five defense in the ACC last season at 23.8 points (53rd in FBS) and 360.7 yards (55th in FBS) allowed per game, BC has the potential to be pretty good here.
Boston College has certainly given Louisville plenty of unnecessary headaches over the years, and this team might just do the same. This is a home game and the Cardinals will look to bounce back from a loss to Miami, but I think it’ll be closer than many realize.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 31, Boston College 28.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 34-3 on Nov. 4, 2023 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
All-Time Series: Louisville leads 6-3
Summary: Last offseason, Virginia Tech was picked by many to be a dark horse ACC contender. Instead they were a tremendous disappointment, needing to beat UVA on the final week of the regular season to even make a bowl, and then still losing the Duke’s Mayo Bowl 24-10 against Minnesota.
What plagued Virginia Tech the most was their underwhelming offense, which finished in bottom half of the ACC at 367.8 yards (88th in FBS) and 28.2 points (67th in FBS) per game. QB Kyron Drones took a massive step back in 2024, although new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery could do the dual threat QB some good. The issue here is that his supporting offensive cast is just… okay. VT’s top returning pass catcher is tight end Benji Gosnell, and Wake Forest transfer Donovan Greene is a good wide receiver, but is oft-injured. BGSU transfer Terrion Stewart is a solid running back, but he’s no Bhaysul Tuten, plus the Hokies’ offensive line play last year was poor to say the least.
Over on defense is where Virginia Tech had a little more to offer last season, holding teams to 22.8 points (39th in FBS) and 363.0 yards (57th in FBS) per game. The only issue here is that the Hokies are losing eight of their top ten leading tackles, although their top two in linebackers Jaden Keller and Caleb Woodson are coming back. Head coach Brent Pry and his staff did a somewhat good job at filling holes on their defense through the portal, even bringing in high-regarded portal guys like Texas State edge Ben Bell and Eastern Michigan linebacker James Djonkam. Still, time will tell if it will be enough to fill all the production and experience that was lost.
On paper, Virginia Tech seems like they *should* be a team that Louisville can handle. However… the Cardinals had plenty of issues with dual threat quarterbacks last season, Lane Stadium is a notoriously difficult place to play at (especially if it’s at night), and Jeff Brohm always seems to have one head-scratching loss per season (i.e. Pitt in 2023, Stanford in 2024). Exit light, enter night.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Virginia Tech 28, Louisville 27.
Last Meeting: First Meeting
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Summary: Cal’s first season in the ACC can be best described as “what if?” They had not one, not two, but five one-score losses in ACC play, and could have easily finished in the top five in the league. Instead, Justin Wilcox’s Golden Bears wound up going just 6-7, including a 24-13 loss to UNLV in the LA Bowl.
Cal’s offense should have been much better than it was, but All-ACC caliber running back Jadyn Ott was limited by a nagging ankle injury. However, not only is he now at Oklahoma, nearly their entire RB room hit the portal. Not to mention that starting quarterback Fernanda Mendoza transferred to Indiana, and Cal might have to go to five-star true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Leading pass catcher tight end Jack Endries went to Texas, and their top wide receiver in Nyziah Hunter is now at Nebraska. Wilcox and Co. did the best they could to mitigate the losses, but an offense that already ranked 74th nationally (380.2 YPG) figures to get much worse.
The Golden Bears were actually respectable on defense, holding teams to just 337.5 yards and 22.3 points per game, both of which ranked 36th nationally. But attrition his this unit hard, as only six of their top 17 defensive players are returning, although that does include All-ACC linebacker Cade Uluave. Like a few other teams on Louisville’s schedule, they did a decent job at bringing in potential impact guys in the portal, such as USF corner Brent Austin and BYU linebacker Harrison Taggart. It just might not be enough to fill every hole.
Add in the fact that there is now an ongoing standoff between Cal and their mega boosters over the role of GM Ron Rivera, the Golden Bears are not exactly in a great spot right now. Coming off of a tough loss, this is the perfect opportunity to right the ship.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 35, Cal 13.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 33-21 on Nov. 2, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C.
All-Time Series: Clemson leads 8-1
Summary: Clemson started the 2024 season by getting their teeth kicked in by Georgia, but Dabo Swinney really knows how to rally the troops. The Tigers were able to not only make it back to the ACC Championship Game, they were able to beat SMU to earn a spot in the CFP, although it resulted in a first round loss at Texas.
Garrett Riley’s first season as the OC at Clemson was a flop, but his second was a resounding success, resulting in the Tigers putting up 451.9 yards (11th in FBS) and 34.7 points (18th in FBS) per game. QB Cade Klubnik was finally able to find his rhythm, and it resulting in him generating Heisman Trophy buzz for the bulk of the year. On top of that, his top three receivers in Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore are all returning. They’ll have to determine a tight end to replace Jake Briningstool with, but this should be one of the best passing attacks in the ACC. The only question mark on the offense is at running back now hat Phil Mafah is in the NFL, especially since their offensive line was just average by their standards last year.
But of course, one of Clemson’s trademarks under Swinney has been stout defense, and the Tigers are in line to have another elite unit. How elite, you say? A recent way-too-early mock 2026 NFL Draft had defensive tackle Peter Woods, defensive end T.J. Parker and cornerback Avieon Terrell all going in the first round. Also add in that other difference makers like Wade Woodaz, Sammy Brown and Khalil Barnes come back, and Clemson is loaded from tip-to-toe on defense. Swinney’s culture and talent retention on that side of the ball is unmatched in this day and age of college football.
Clemson will not only likely be the preseason favorite to win the ACC, they are going to be in the thick of national championship discussion. On paper, the Tigers are very much the better team than the Cardinals. It also doesn’t help that Clemson is also coming off of a bye. However… these are the types of games that Jeff Brohm always gets his team up for. Not to mention that he’s already beaten them in Death Valley.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 23, Clemson 17.
Last Meeting: SMU won 34-27 on Oct. 5, 2024 at L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
All-Time Series: SMU leads 3-0
Summary: This time last year, there were plenty of questions regarding if SMU could make the jump to the ACC. Considering they made the ACC Championship Game and earned an at-large berth to the College Football Playoff to finish 11-3, I’d say they answered that question with an authoritative yes.
Head coach Rhett Lashlee has been known for his offensive prowess, and while there were struggles early, the Mustangs got better on this side fo the field when Kevin Jennings took over as the permanent starter. While he had a rough outing in the CFP vs. Penn State, he’s still very much a deadly weapon through the air and ground. The only real question is who will step up around him, as running back Brashard Smith went to the NFL and his top two receivers graduated. Returning wideout Jordan Hudson and JMU transfer Yamir Knight could do just that on the outside, but Smith’s shoes will be a lot harder to fill. It’ll be hard to replicate last season’s efficiency (429.5 yards and 36.5 points per game).
What really helped SMU make the next step was their proficiency on offense, as their 326.0 yards (26th in FBS) and 22.1 points (32nd in FBS) allowed per game both led the ACC by season’s end. While the Mustangs do lose a fair amount of defensive production, they also bring back a few of their top playmakers, such as safety duo Isaiah Nwokobia and Ahmaad Moses. SMU also did well with bringing in defensive talent via the portal, with Texas State defensive tackle Terry Webb, Syracuse corner Marcellus Barnes and Kansas defensive end D.J. Warner standing out.
As previously noted, Louisville certainly had their struggled against dual threat quarterbacks last season. Couple this with having to go on the road and trying to come down from the high of taking down Clemson, and things could stack against the Cards.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: SMU 31, Louisville 24.
Last Meeting: Louisville won 41-14 on Nov. 30, 2024 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
All-Time Series: Kentucky leads 20-16
Summary: The first half of the 2024 for Kentucky had plenty of ups and downs, as they nearly upset Georgia, then did take down Ole Miss in Oxford. But after starting 3-2, Mark Stoops’ Wildcats did not win another game against an FBS school, ending the season at 4-8.
A sputtering offense was the main reason for Kentucky’s woes last season, as their 330.4 yards and 20.6 points per game both ranked inside the bottom-20. It was primarily due to inconsistent quarterback play, but time will tell if Zach Calzada, who spent last season at Incarnate Word, is the answer here. It also doesn’t help that UK’s top two receivers in Barion Brown and Dane Key moved on, and the rest of the position is largely unproven outside of Ja’Mori Maclin. While Jamarion Wilcox is a decent option at running back, they couldn’t get consistent play at the position because of a woeful offensive line.
This spoiled what was actually a decent defense, as Kentucky held teams to just 345.5 yards (44th in FBS) and 22.1 points (33rd in FBS) per game. There are a few noteworthy pieces to this defense that return, such as defensive back Jordan Lovett, linebacker Alex Afari Jr. and corner J.Q Hardaway. However, the ‘Cats lose a tone of their top-end guys, such as Maxwell Hairston, Deone Walker and J.J. Weaver. A lot of players behind them are going to have to step up to the plate in order to maintain that side of the ball’s efficiency.
Kentucky has been trending downhill for the last three years, and Stoops’ relationship with the UK fanbase is tenuous at best because of it. Now that Brohm has gotten the rivalry monkey off of his back, and this game is at home, it’s an easy pick.
Way-Too-Early Prediction: Louisville 31, Kentucky 17.
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(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Clare Grant – Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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