Louisville Generating Significant CFP Buzz in Updated Bowl Projections

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season will be unveiled tonight, but even before that gets released, bowl projectors are bullish on Louisville's chances of making their first ever CFP.

This past week, the Cardinals earned their third win in a row at Virginia Tech, while ACC hopefuls Georgia Tech and Miami stumbled. As a result, the majority of projectors believe that UofL is trending towards making the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Among the ten projectors, five of them have the Cardinals in the CFP, with two of them going as far to say that Louisville will host. If UofL doesn't make the CFP, the Gator Bowl seems to be the alternate option, as four of the five other projectors picked this bowl.

As a reminder, the ACC utilizes a system where they organize bowls with conference tie-ins into two tiers, but there is no selection order within each tier. The league and their bowl partners "will make team selections based on several factors, including geographic proximity, avoiding repeat appearances and matchups, and regular-season won-loss records," according to the ACC's official website.

The Cardinals will officially learn their postseason draw on Sunday, Dec. 7, following the end of conference championship weekend. The College Football Playoff selection show begins at 12:00 p.m. that day, and Louisville will learn their bowl shortly after.

With 10 weeks of college football now in the rear view mirror, here are bowl projections for Louisville across various publications:

Sports Illustrated

Projector: Bryan Fischer
Bowl/Matchup: CFP First Round at Oregon
Location: Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec., 19 or Saturday, Dec. 20 at TBD

ESPN

Projector: Kyle Bonagura
Bowl/Matchup: Gator Bowl vs. LSU
Location: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 7:30 p.m. EST

Projector: Mark Schlabach
Bowl/Matchup: Gator Bowl vs. Vanderbilt
Location: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 7:30 p.m. EST

247Sports/CBS

Projector: Brad Crawford
Bowl/Matchup: Gasparilla Bowl vs. USF
Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec., 19 at 3:30 p.m. EST

Athlon Sports

Projector: Steve Lassan
Bowl/Matchup: CFP First Round at Ole Miss
Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec., 19 or Saturday, Dec. 20 at TBD

College Football News

Projector: Steve Lassan
Bowl/Matchup: CFP First Round vs. Ole Miss
Location: L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec., 19 or Saturday, Dec. 20 at TBD

On3

Projector: Brett McMurphy
Bowl/Matchup: CFP First Round vs. BYU
Location: L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec., 19 or Saturday, Dec. 20 at TBD

Palm Brackets

Projector: Jerry Palm
Bowl/Matchup: Gator Bowl vs. Oklahoma
Location: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 7:30 p.m. EST

USA TODAY

Projector: Erick Smith
Bowl/Matchup: CFP First Round at Texas Tech
Location: Jones A&N Stadium in Lubbock, Tex.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec., 19 or Saturday, Dec. 20 at TBD

Pro Football Network

Projector: Oliver Hodgkinson
Bowl/Matchup: Gator Bowl vs. Tennessee
Location: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 7:30 p.m. EST