The Louisville Cardinals are back… Kind of. After an abysmal 2018 season, there is a lot of work to be done here. Jeff Brohm is probably glad he stayed in West Lafayette.

Prestige Ranking: 2*

Last Years Record: 2-10

There weren’t a lot of bright spots for the Cardinals in 2018, one win came against FCS Indiana State, and the other against Western Kentucky. The Cardinals ended the season on a 9 game losing streak.

Projected Returning Starters:O

Offense- They return LITERALLY everyone from last years team adding Grad Transfer T.J. McCoy from Florida. It could go one of two ways, they repeat the kind of play they had last year, OR they see some improvement and win more than 2 games.

Defense– Again, they bring back EVERYONE on this side of the ball. One player that I would look at to make a difference this year is Rodjay Burns. This summer he put on 23 pounds of muscle to play linebacker for the Cardinals.

Specialists- New position, same results. The Cardinals bring back a lot of experience with both punter Mason King and place kicker Blanton Creque both as redshirt seniors, there will no doubt be a clean group of specialists on the field.

Key Losses:

After a couple hours of going over their roster, I couldn’t see anyone from last years roster NOT on this years roster. Could definitely see some players step up, but some guys may just need a breath of fresh air.

Key Newcomer- Offense: T.J. McCoy

The offense wasn’t necessarily the problem with last years team. However, it never hurts to add a tested linemen to the roster. McCoy played in 20 plus games for the Gators. It never hurts to add some experience.

Key Newcomer- Defense: Rodjay Burns

Now after playing one season with Ohio State, and another with the Cardinals, Rodjay is someone that could make a huge difference for this struggling Louisville team.

Breakout Player of The Year: Dez Fitzpatrick

He finished second last year on the team in terms of receptions, and was one of the few bright spots in their respective scrimmages against Alabama and Clemson.

Wins The Conference If:

The rest of the ACC just dies and goes home.

Circle This Game: Saturday November 30th @Kentucky

I say this because it is the last game on their calendar and it will most likely be the end to what will have been of a very long season.

Alcohol Prediction: Hapsburg Gold Label Premium (89.9% Alcohol)

I say this due to the fact that there won’t be that many spots that they will want to remember. Louisville Cardinals fans will want to end this season ASAP.

Outlook 2019: 4-8

Now it won’t be a great season for the Cardinals, but until they find their Head Coach, all they can do is steadily improve. It won’t happen overnight. There will be some rough games, but as long as they’re giving their best on the field, that’s all you can ask for right?

Keep it going with the ACC and check out the 2019 CFB Preview: North Carolina Tar Heels.