Cards Plummet In AP Poll

Louisville came into Saturday’s matchup ranked 16th, hovering around a two-touchdown favorite over Wake Forest and in the driver’s seat of the ACC race.

Fast forward 24 hours later. Wake Forest heads back to Winston Salem with a 3-1 record after upsetting Louisville 30-27.

The Cards are now out of the AP Top 25, .500 on the season and assessing injuries and on-field discipline issues heading into their first true road game of the season in Raleigh.

Louisville is now sitting ninth in the “other receiving votes” tab of the rankings, dropping 18 spots from last week to 34th.

Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong went wrong in Saturday afternoon’s contest. Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez got comfortable early on, establishing a lethal connection with his top wide receiver target Carlos Hernandez.

Sep 26, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez (3) celebrates with fans after winning against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Carter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lopez finished the day 12-for-19 through the air with 225 yards and a touchdown. Hernandez pulled down nine receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown, averaging 21.6 yards per reception.

Louisville, who came into the game 134th in the country in penalty yards per game, committed nine penalties for 90 yards.

It was announced last week that starting linebacker/safety Antonio Watts would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, while safety Koen Entringer was announced out yesterday before kickoff.

The rushing attack that usually carries the Louisville offense and offers balance to the passing game sputtered and only compiled 75 yards on 38 carries.

Sep 26, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (3) looks to throw during the first quarteragainst Wake Forest Demon Deacons at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Carter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, who was garnering national attention following last week, took several blows late in the game and limped off the field prior to the blocked game tying field goal attempt of the foot of Nick Keller. Keller replaced Carson Hilbert who missed a field goal earlier in the fourth quarter.

The health of Kienholz will be something to keep an eye on this week in preparation for NC State. Kienholz was a bright spot in the loss Saturday going 27-for-36 through the air for 324 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for two scores. Kienholz threw his first interception of the season, which happened to be Louisville’s first turnover of the season as well.

Ole Miss, who beat the Cards in the opener 41-38, fell five spots to ninth following their 52-28 loss at Florida last night. SMU, who Louisville beat just eight days ago, climbed one spot to 21st. Future opponent Kentucky made their debut in the polls at 24th. Wake Forest climbed to 29th and future opponent Pittsburgh rose to 32nd in the other receiving votes.

Louisville will have a week to prepare before they kick it off at 3:30 Saturday in Raleigh against NC State. NC State beat Appalachian State yesterday 41-31, to improve to 2-2 on the season. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.

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