Why this ACC non-contender is so important to the College Football Playoff landscape

You could argue that this year's Louisville team is better than last year's. In year one back at his alma mater, Jeff Brohm guided the Cardinals to an ACC Championship Game appearance. While they came up empty vs. Florida State in Charlotte, last year was no fluke for U of L. Even though the Cardinals have played a much harder schedule this year, they have one great win, but no bad losses even at 6-3.

Louisville's best win is over former ACC Atlantic foe Clemson. By handing the Tigers their second loss of the season, it puts Dabo Swinney's team very much behind the eight-ball when it comes to getting to Charlotte to even have a snowball's chance at making the playoff. So far this season, Louisville's three losses are one-score defeats to a trio of top-15 teams in the country in Miami, Notre Dame and SMU.

Looking at who they have to play the rest of the season, Louisville should be somewhere between an eight or nine-win team. Their final three games are at Stanford, home vs. Pittsburgh and at in-state rival Kentucky. Only the Pitt game could be seen as a resume booster to a team that is not likely to get into the top 12. Of course, another loss or two will be bad news for Miami, Notre Dame and SMU.

Simply put, a 9-3 Louisville team would help the ACC get a pair of teams in regarding Miami and SMU.

Louisville's finish down the stretch will impact the playoff picture majorly

Throughout most of the offseason and into the better part of this season, the ACC belonged in the same grouping with the Big Ten, Notre Dame and the Group of Five when it came to the amount of available bids to be had for the College Football Playoff. The Non-Power Two would get in between three and five teams with the other seven to nine playoff bids likely going to Big Ten and SEC teams.

If Notre Dame wins out, and so does Louisville, we are looking at potentially five teams from that secondary grouping: Notre Dame, Miami and SMU out of the ACC, the Big 12 champion and the Group of Five champion. Since the Big Ten is deplorably bad beyond its fourth-best team, which is deemed to be Indiana by the Selection Committee, that could mean the SEC only gets four teams in.

Conversely, a loss to Stanford by Louisville really hurts the ACC's chances of getting a second team in. It may hurt Notre Dame's slim chances of getting in should they suffer a second loss to finish the year at 10-2. While falling to Pitt is not going to be all that detrimental to the ACC's playoff picture, what if they fell to in-state rival Kentucky? It would be huge for SEC contenders Georgia and Ole Miss.

For Georgia, it would make the Dawgs' narrow victory over UK in Lexington look slightly better, just like it would not make Ole Miss' unthinkable home loss to the Wildcats look so atrocious. Right now, it does not feel like the Selection Committee is comfortable putting two ACC teams into the tournament. It would rather have Notre Dame essentially occupy the revolving fourth other spot in.

To be frank, Louisville winning out would go a long way preventing discussions about how Notre Dame or a potential ACC runner-up in Miami or SMU possibly bid stealing. Louisville finishing the year at 9-3 (6-2) would give all three playoff contenders a quality win worth celebrating. There are other multi-loss teams out there who could mess things up for others, but Louisville might take the cake.

The only way the ACC is getting two teams in is if is its third and fourth best teams are of quality, too.