Louisville Football Bowl Projections: 2025 Week 2

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program's 2025 season is off to a good start. While Eastern Kentucky is just an FCS team, the Cardinals did what needed to be done, and wound up winning 51-17 over the Colonels in their season-opener.

Considering the opposition faced, it wasn't exactly a needle-mover in terms of UofL's bowl projections. In fact, while projected opponents might have changed some due to a chaotic first week of college football, the same three bowls have been trending amongst bowl projectors.

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 one week 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: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Ole Miss
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Date/Time: Friday, Jan, 2 at 8:00 p.m. EST

ESPN

Projector: Kyle Bonagura
Bowl/Matchup: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. South Carolina
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Date/Time: Friday, Jan, 2 at 8:00 p.m. EST

Projector: Mark Schlabach
Bowl/Matchup: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. Arizona State
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 3:30 p.m. EST

247Sports/CBS

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

Athlon Sports

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

College Football News

Projector: Staff Pick
Bowl/Matchup: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. South Carolina
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Date/Time: Friday, Jan, 2 at 8:00 p.m. EST

On3

Projector: Brett McMurphy
Bowl/Matchup: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. Texas Tech
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 3:30 p.m. EST

Palm Brackets

Projector: Jerry Palm
Bowl/Matchup: Pinstripe Bowl vs. Minnesota
Location: Yankee Stadium in New York, N.Y.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 2:15 p.m. EST

USA TODAY

Projector: Erick Smith
Bowl/Matchup: Fenway Bowl vs. USF
Location: Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 27 at 2:15 p.m. EST

Sporting News

Projector: Bill Bender
Bowl/Matchup: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. South Carolina
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Date/Time: Friday, Jan, 2 at 8:00 p.m. EST

Pro Football Network

Projector: Oliver Hodgkinson
Bowl/Matchup: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. South Carolina
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Date/Time: Friday, Jan, 2 at 8:00 p.m. EST