2025 Boston College Football Early Opponent Preview, Week 9: Louisville

The Eagles hit the road in Week 9 looking for revenge against the Cardinals.

Oct 25, 2024; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell (0) makes a catch against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

After a two-game home stand against Clemson and UConn, Boston College will hit the road in Week 9 to take on the Louisville Cardinals. 

The Eagles will be looking for revenge after suffering a 31-27 loss to the Cardinals in 2024, blowing a 20-point lead in the second half. 

Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Offense

Louisville will be without a couple of key pieces from its 2024 campaign. The biggest one is quarterback Tyler Shough, who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in April. Last year, Shough went 244-of-389 for 3,195 yards (62.7%), 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions. However, the team picked up a huge addition in the transfer portal, likely to replace Shough, in former USC quarterback Miller Moss. 

The Cardinals also lost their top wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, an Alabama transfer, that signed an UDFA deal with the Washington Commanders in the spring. The team did keep wide receiver Chris Bell, who notched 737 yards and four touchdowns, both the second-most among the team and its top running back Isaac Brown. In 2024, Brown led the team in rushing yards with 1,173 and touchdowns with 11. 

Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals retained its top tackler in linebacker TJ Quinn. Quinn tallied 82 total tackles, 35 solo and 42 assisted last year as well as 1.5 sacks. They did lose their sack leader, EDGE Ashton Gillotte to the NFL Draft. 

Other key defenders returning for Louisville include linebacker Stanquan Clark, defensive back D'Angelo Hutchinson, and linebacker Antonio Watts. 

Schedule 

Entering Week 9, Louisville will return home after going on a road trip to take on Miami while Boston College will hit the road after a two-game home stand against Clemson and UConn. The game is also slated for the same day as last year’s contest since the two teams played on a Friday night. 

Outlook

This game will be difficult for Boston College to pull out. Not only does Louisville hold the all-time advantage and have a two-game winning streak in the series, but also Boston College has lost the last three matchups at Louisville with only a sole contest being close (2019, 41-39). 

On top of that, the Eagles struggled on the road last year as they went just 1-4 in away games versus the Cardinals’ 4-2 home record. Boston College has only won at Louisville twice, 1994 and 2017. 

At the moment, Louisville looks to have the edge in the matchup.

Boston College at Louisville:

Boston College Eagles On SI takes a long look at each of the Eagles' upcoming opponents this season, including their Week 9 contest on the road against the Louisville Cardinals.

The Game

Date: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Louisville, Ky. 

Series: Louisville leads the all-time series 10-7. 

Last Meeting: The last meeting between these two programs was last season on Oct. 25, 2024. Louisville beat Boston College 31-27.

The Team

The Coach: Jeff Brohm.

Offensive Coordinator: Brian Brohm.

Defensive Coordinator: Mark Hagen and Ron English.

2024 Record: 9-4.

Players to Watch: QB Miller Moss, RB Isaac Brown, WR Chris Bell, LB TJ Quinn.

Top Newcomer: Recruit- EDGE CJ May, Transfer- QB Miller Moss (USC).

The School

Location: Louisville, Ky.

Founded: 1798

Enrollment: 24,123

Nickname: The Cardinals

Colors: Cardinal Red and Black

Mascot: Louie the Cardinal

The Program

Last Time Beat Boston College: 2024.

Last Time Won ACC: Never.

National Championships: None.

Playoff Appearances: None.

Conference Championships: Eight in total, none in the ACC. Two in Missouri Valley (1970 and 1972), Three in C-USA (2000, 2001, and 2004), and Three in Big East (2006, 2011, and 2012).

Bowl Appearances: 17 – 13-13-1 record.

Last Time Didn’t Play in a Bowl: 2020.

Heisman Trophies: One – Lamar Jackson in 2016.

2025 NFL Draft: Three – QB Tyler Shough- No 40 (second round) overall pick by New Orleans Saints; EDGE Ashton Gillotte- No. 66 (third round) overall by Kansas City Chiefs; CB ​​Quincy Riley- No. 131 (fourth round) overall by New Orleans Saints. 

Last 4 Recruiting Class Rankings: 2025 No. 58; 2024 No. 38; 2023 No. 24; 2022 No. 35.

The Schedule

Aug. 30: vs. Eastern Kentucky
Sept. 5: vs. James Madison
Sept. 20: vs. Bowling Green
Sept. 27: at Pitt
Oct. 4: vs. Virginia
Oct. 17: at Miami
Oct. 25: vs. Boston College
Nov. 1: at Virginia Tech
Nov. 8: vs. Cal
Nov. 14: vs. Clemson
Nov. 22: at SMU
Nov. 29: vs. Kentucky

Check out the other stories in Boston College Eagles On SI's early opponent preview series:Fordham (Week 1),Michigan State (Week 2),Stanford (Week 3),Cal (Week 5),Pitt (Week 6), Clemson (Week 7), and UConn (Week 8).