Is Louisville Unstoppable?

Storyline: Clemson and Houston stand between Louisville and an undefeated season. Will the Cards’ win out? 

Will anybody be able to stop Louisville this season? The question bears asking after UL dismantled Florida State last Saturday.

FSU came to Louisville as the favorite to win this ACC marquee matchup, but the Seminoles were flat-out embarrassed by the Cardinals. The Seminoles were steamrolled, 63-20. It was the most points that Florida State has given up in school history.

Lamar Jackson scores against Syracuse (Yahoo Sports)

It’s not like this was an isolated incident, either. Louisville scored 56 points in the first half in the season opener against Charlotte. Fortunately for the 49ers, Petrino called off the dogs in the final 30 minutes of play. Then, a week later, the Cardinals rolled to a 62-28 victory over Syracuse.

What’s the takeaway? Bobby Petrino’s squad is averaging approximately 65 points and 679 yards of offense a game (NOTE: That’s not a misprint).

Before the season began I wrote that Louisville was college football sleeper’s team. That’s no longer the case. At issue now is if anyone stop Louisville. Let’s look at the Cards’ remaining schedule to get a fix on the answer.

September 24 at Marshall (ESPN Football Power Index: 96.6% chance to win): Marshall has ripped of four straight victories in the series, but MU has a weak team this year– evident by the shocking reality that Thundering Herd surrendering 65 points to Akron this past Saturday. Even though the game is at Huntington I just don’t see Marshall competing with the Cardinals. Louisville 63, Marshall 10.

Courtesy: clemsontix.com

October 1 at Clemson (ESPN Football Power Index: 55.3% chance to win): Clemson made it all the way to the national championship game last year, but the Tigers have not been impressive this season. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has played sloppily and Clemson barely escaped upset bids by Auburn in Week 1 and by Troy the following week. Fortunately for the Tigers, this game versus Louisville is at Death Valley. This one will be high scoring and a nail-biter, but Jackson and the Cards will leave The Palmetto State with the dub. Louisville 45, Clemson 41.

October 14 vs. Duke (ESPN Football Power Index: 97% chance to win): Blue Devils football has been up in recent years, but Duke’s offense has really sputtered this year. The Devils posted just 14 points in their ACC opener versus Wake Forest and then followed that with a poor outing, a 24-13 loss to Northwestern on Saturday. This game is at Louisville, which just makes the mountain higher for Duke. Louisville 56, Duke 3

October 22 vs. NC State (ESPN Football Power Index: 92.7% chance to win): The Wolfpack are 2-1, but that record is deceiving. NC State’s victories are against William & Marry and Old Dominion and the loss was to East Carolina. Like Duke, the Wolfpack is probably dreading the trip to Louisville. Louisville 66, NC State 10

October 29 at Virginia (ESPN Football Power Index: 96.9% chance to win): The Cavaliers opened the season with a 37-20 loss to FCS Richmond–a downer–and the season hasn’t improved since then. The Cavaliers are winless and meeting the Cardinals will yield yet another loss. Louisville will in in blowout fashion anywhere. Louisville 70, Virginia 13

BC’s Patrick Towles (Boston Herald)

November 5 at Boston College (ESPN Football Power Index: 94.2% chance to win): Boston College QB Patrick Towles is no stranger to the Cardinals. Towles, who used to play for Kentucky, is now playing in Chestnut Hill. His presence has greatly improved the Eagles’ offensive attack. But while the BC defense might slow down the Louisville offense for awhile, the Cards will leave Boston with a win. Louisville 42, Boston College 14

November 12 vs. Wake Forest (ESPN Football Power Index: 96.1% chance to win): This will be a tune-up game for Louisville. Even though the Demon Deacons are currently 3-0, those wins were against Tulane, Duke, and Delaware. Sorry, Wake Forest fans, but I expect your team to take a shellacking. Louisville 52, Wake Forest 0

November 17 at Houston (ESPN Football Power Index: 79.4% chance to win): This game will decide the Cards’ season. If the Cards win at Clemson, it’s likely that Louisville will be undefeated going into the Houston game, which would make for an epic mid-November showdown. This game is likely to be a shootout between two QBs: Lamar Jackson and the Cougars’ standout, Greg Ward Jr. At day’s end I think Louisville will leave Houston with a victory. Louisville 42, Houston 31

November 26 vs. Kentucky (ESPN Football Power Index: 98% chance to win): UK’s defense surrendered 42 points to New Mexico State, so I don’t think they’re going to fare to well against Jackson and the high-scoring Cards’ offense. “The Battle for the Governor’s Cup” won’t even be a close. Louisville 59, Kentucky 24

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Courtesy: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals have grabbed national headlines, but the Cardinals’ success has had a significant impact in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, too–well beyond the Cards’ fan base.

Louisville has proven that good basketball isn’t the only thing Kentucky can produce. The Cards’ success is changing the culture of college football across the state.

Even though I am a die-hard UK fan, I hope U of L runs the table and wins the national championship. A national crown will enhance recruiting, expand the TV market, and (perhaps most importantly) get Kentuckians even more excited about college football.

I never thought I would say this, but here it goes….

Go Cards! (Alert: In football, not basketball)