Louisville Football Receives Votes in 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll

The 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll was released Monday, and a handful of coaches tabbed the Cardinals as a ranked squad.

Louisville Cardinals senior wide receiver Chris Bell (0) during a recent practice on August 4, 2025 before the start of the 2025 football season. In 2024, Bell had 43 receptions for 737 yards with four touchdowns. He averaged 17.1 yards per catch. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the 2025 college football season just over three weeks away, the USA TODAY Coaches Preseason Poll has finally dropped.

While the Louisville football program has been generating top-25 buzz throughout the offseason, the Cardinals found themselves landing in the "receiving votes" category of the preseason Coaches Poll. Louisville received 126 votes for a de facto ranking of No. 28th.

Three of Louisville's regular season opponents made the initial Coaches Poll. Clemson is ranked at No. 7, Miami comes in at No. 10, while SMU places as No. 16.

Louisville finished the 2024 season, their second under head coach Jeff Brohm, with an overall mark of 9-4 and 5-3 in the ACC. This included snapping losing streaks against Clemson and Kentucky, and a 35-34 win over Washington in the Sun Bowl. The Cardinals will kick off the 2025 season against Eastern Kentucky at L&N Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Full Top 25 Coaches Poll (2025 Preseason)

*Points in parenthesis - first place votes

1. Texas - 1,606 (28)
2. Ohio State - 1,565 (20)
3. Penn State - 1,525 (14)
4. Georgia - 1,466 (3)
5. Notre Dame - 1,360
6. Clemson - 1,324 (2)
7. Oregon - 1,307
8. Alabama - 1,210
9. LSU - 1,056
10. Miami - 823
11. Arizona State - 806
12. Illinois - 734
13. South Carolina - 665
14. Michigan - 580
15. Ole Miss - 573
16. SMU - 555
17. Florida - 498
18. Tennessee - 492
19. Indiana - 460
20. Kansas State - 438
21. Texas A&M - 392
21. Iowa State - 392
23. BYU - 287
24. Texas A&M - 261
25. Boise State - 246

Others Receiving Votes:

Oklahoma 221; Missouri 142; Louisville 126; USC 116; Utah 86; Baylor 76; Auburn 50; Iowa 49; Memphis 34; Army West Point 33; Tulane 31; Georgia Tech 27; TCU 24; Nebraska 19; Syracuse 16; Washington 15; Navy 14; Arkansas 14; Duke 12; Colorado 12; Minnesota 11; UNLV 8; Florida State 8; Kansas 6; Vanderbilt 3; Buffalo 1;

(Photo of Chris Bell: Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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