Louisville Cracks Top-40 in Phil Steele's 2026 Power Poll

The Cardinals were also tabbed to finish tied for second in the ACC, according to long time college football expert Phil Steele.

Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (25) celebrates with his teammates after his interception against Kentucky in the second half Saturday, November 29, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. The Cards were rolling 27-0 through the fourth quarter. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Preseason watch season for the 2026 college football season is in full swing, and with that, the first iteration of preseason polls are starting to get released.

One of the first major preseason college football polls to drop comes from long time college football expert Phil Steele, who included his preseason rankings as part of his recently released his 2026 College Football Preview magazine.

Over the first three seasons under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville has been very successful. The Cardinals are 28-12 overall since he took over, and are coming off of a 9-4 campaign last season.

While the amount of talent that was both retained and brought in has UofL generating ACC title and College Football Playoff buzz, Steele's Power Poll - essentially his preseason poll calculated based on the talents and strengths of each team - is not super high on the team itself entering year four of the Brohm era. In fact, it places them at just No. 36 overall.

That being said, Steele still believes Louisville can have a successful season. In Steele's preseason top 40, which is a ranking where he projects how teams will finish the season rather than where they will start, he predicts the Cards will finish the 2026 season ranked 18th.

This is because, going by the Power Poll, the Cardinals have a fairly manageable schedule. Louisville will face three teams in the Power Poll's top 25, with Ole Miss at No. 8, SMU at No. 22 and Florida State at No. 25. However, six of their opponents are ranked outside the top-50.

Notre Dame, Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas round out the top five overall.

"The Cards have eight losses the last two years, but seven of them have been by a touchdown or less," Steele wrote. "They have one of the best running back units in the country and a schedule that could land them in the ACC Title game."

Their light schedule also plays (mostly) into Louisville's favor by Steele's projections. He placed the Cardinals in a three-way tie with Clemson and SMU for second in his 2026 ACC Forecast.

As expected, Miami takes the top spot here, as they are the overwhelming favorite to win the conference. Even with that in mind, Steele thinks Louisville has a good chance to at least make it to Charlotte and square off with the Canes for a chance at the crown.

"My nine sets of power ratings are all over, as they call for anywhere from just three ACC wins, all the way up to 9-0!" he wrote. "They key will be keeping the running backs healthy, and Kienholz does at quarterback. This team is a legitimate threat in the ACC."

Additionally, Steele named two Louisville players to his 2026 Preseason All-American teams, as well as nine Cardinals to the Preseason All-ACC Teams.

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(Photo via Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)