The Louisville Cardinals are going bowling. The only question is where.
Coach Jeff Brohm’s team hit the coveted six-win mark with a resounding win at Clemson two weeks ago and then got an off week to recover for the final three games of the regular season. That stretch kicks off this Saturday when the Cardinals fly to Stanford and face the Cardinal in an ACC matchup.
As we’ve done all season long, BetKentucky has developed exclusive odds on where we believe the Cards will play this postseason. These odds are for infotainment purposes only. You will not find them at any licensed Kentucky sportsbook apps, like DraftKings or bet365.
Bowl | Location | Conference Opponent | Odds | Percentage Chance |
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl | Jacksonville, FL | Vs. SEC | -400 | 80.0% |
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | El Paso, TX | Vs. a former Pac12 school | +900 | 10.0% |
The Field/No Bowl |
|
| +900 | 10.0% |
The Gator Bowl is probably the best bowl available for ACC teams that do not make the College Football Playoff. The Jan. 2 game in Jacksonville would match an ACC team with an SEC representative.
While Louisville seems the ACC’s favorite for the game, a couple of things could shake things up. Notre Dame’s arms-length relationship with the conference means it is also eligible to play in any of its bowl games. While the Fighting Irish, who beat Louisville earlier this season, are penciled into the College Football Playoff, they could easily fall out of the field of 12 with another loss.
Likewise, if only one ACC school makes the playoff field, it’s very likely the team that loses the conference championship game could be slotted for the Gator Bowl.
USA Today photo by Jamie Rhodes.
Speaking of the playoff, Louisville still can sneak into the field of 12, although the Cards will need a lot of help.
First off, UofL must win its final two conference games. Besides Stanford on Saturday, the Cardinals host Pittsburgh on Nov. 23. That would get Brohm’s team to 6-2 in the league.
Then, Clemson, which is 6-1, will need to lose to Pittsburgh this weekend. In addition, Miami, which beat Louisville earlier this season, would need to lose one of its final two games, either against Wake Forest on Nov. 23 or at Syracuse a week later.
If all that happens, Louisville, Clemson and Miami would be tied at 6-2 (or if Miami loses both, the Hurricanes would be 5-3, and Louisville would get the tiebreaker over Clemson due to their win over the Tigers). In a three-way tie, Louisville would win because it holds the tiebreaker, which is the combined winning percentage of ACC opponents.
To understand how unlikely this is, ESPN BET Kentucky gives Miami even odds of winning the ACC title game. It gives SMU odds of +150 and Clemson odds of +425. Louisville, along with Pittsburgh, is next in line. Both of those schools have odds of +10000.
As mentioned above, Louisville must first beat Stanford this week to even entertain the long odds of making the ACC title game. Despite traveling to the Bay Area for the first time in more than 30 years, the Cardinals are a heavy favorite. Oddsmakers at FanDuel Kentucky Sportsbook list UofL giving Stanford 19.5 points.
Year | Bowl | Result |
2023 | Holiday Bowl | Loss, 42-28 against USC |
2022 | Fenway Bowl | Win, 24-7 against Cincinnati |
2021 | First Responder Bowl | Loss, 31-28 against Air Force |
2020 | No Bowl Game |
|
2019 | Music City Bowl | Win, 38-28 vs. Mississippi State |
Just like last year, Brohm has transformed this year’s team through the transfer portal. UofL brought in a quarterback and the hope is that Shough will finally stay healthy and can produce more consistently than Jack Plummer did last season.
The Cardinals’ offense looks almost completely new after the team lost Plummer, wide receiver Jamari Thrash and running backs Jawhar Jordan and Issac Guerendo graduated or applied for the NFL draft. However, the defense brought back eight starters from a team that was one of the toughest against the run in the country. That unit is led by defensive lineman and All-American candidate Ashton Gillotte, defensive back Benjamin Perry and linebacker T.J. Quinn.
USA Today photo by Orlando Ramirez
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
