Cards Still Ranked After Loss To Ole Miss?

The Cards opened the 2026 with a heartbreaking loss to the Ole Miss Rebels on a last second field goal. Considering the quality of the game against the #9 team in the nation and the last second loss.... did the AP Voters decide to keep the Louisville Football in the Associated Press Poll?

YES THEY DID!

The Cards check in this week, unchanged, at #24.

When you think it about it, no one in college football really played anyone else in Week 1. If the AP Voters want to discourage good out of conference games then the thing to do would be to knock the #24 team out of the poll after playing a neutral site game in an epic thriller against the #9 team in the country. Right? Who would sign up for that?

If the AP voters did ultimately decide to knock Louisville for the loss, then bring on FCS-Directional State University from kingdom come. Instead, sanity prevailed and the Cards stay at #24. Not rewarded for losing. But not punished for getting beat as time expired in a game that everyone wanted to see in Week 1.

Louisville Related Top 25 Inclusions

#3 Notre Dame: ACC adjacent. Not on Lousiville's schedule in 2026.

#7 Miami: Top Rated ACC team in Week 2, also not on Louisville's schedule in 2026.

#9 Ole Miss: Louisville's sole loss in 2026, Week 1.

#17 SMU: Louisville's ACC Opener, Week 3 opponent.

#24 Louisville

#25 Virginia: ACC, also not on Louisville's schedule in 2026.

Others Receiving Votes: Pitt (vs. Louisville 11/21) and Virginia Tech (not on Louisville's schedule in 2026)

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