10 Power 5 National Championship dark horse contenders
By John Buhler
Getting the Louisville Cardinals as a full-time member of the ACC just a few years ago is huge boost to the Power 5 conference, on hardwood and gridiron alike. The University of Louisville isn’t as academically rigorous as other ACC schools, but it is a huge-revenue program that’s flirted on the cusp of becoming an elite football school.
Louisville has a strong head coach in Bobby Petrino and a great players’ coach in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. The Cardinals always seem to be gifted at the quarterback position, and 2016 will be no different, with sophomore Lamar Jackson ready to take Louisville to the next level of national prominence. Following in the deep footsteps of Teddy Bridgewater is no easy feat, but Jackson has the tools — and the team — to do it.
It’s no secret that Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers and Jimbo Fisher’s Florida State Seminoles — who occupy the same division as Louisville — remain the biggest behemoths in the conference. The Cardinals are clearly the third-best team in the Atlantic entering 2016, but one upset win of either Clemson or Florida State might be enough to get the Cardinals to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.
Their 2016 season schedule is no picnic, but if the Cardinals can handle the pressure thrown their way, they will be a hot ticket in the eyes of the College Football Playoff voting committee.
Louisville’s non-conference games are fairly respectable, and include a road game against the top-10 Houston Cougars on Nov. 17. Meanwhile, in-state rival Kentucky is once again vying for that elusive bowl bid under third-year head coach Mark Stoops. Both of those games stand to help Louisville’s strength of schedule immensely.
As for their ACC slate, Louisville’s two toughest games are early in the year: Florida State at home on Sept. 17th, and a brutal trip to Death Valley to take on the Tigers on Oct. 1.
After that, Louisville should be able to win both of its games against Coastal Division foes Duke (Oct. 14 at home) and Virginia (Oct. 29 in Charlottesville).
At first glance, Petrino’s Cardinals look like an 8-4 or 9-3 football team, why with losses to Clemson, Florida State, and Houston all distinct possibilities. However, the gap between Louisville and the three supposedly superior teams on their schedule isn’t all that vast, and there’s no telling what kind of momentum might be garnered with an early-season coup over one of the conference’s top dogs.
Yes, Louisville will have to play out of its mind in 2016 and have more than a few lucky breaks to get to 11-1 (7-1) to play for an ACC Championship. Should Louisville win the Atlantic and then the ACC Championship, confidence will have to be on the Cardinals’ side heading into the College Football Playoff. However unlikely, Louisville has to be one of the two dark horses that could come out of the ACC this season.
Next: 8. UCLA Bruins.