Ranking Louisville's 2024 Schedule by Difficulty

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program is coming off of a fantastic first season under head coach Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals went 10-4 for their first double-digit win season in a decade, and made an appearance in the ACC Championship Game for the first time since joining the conference.

Louisville's 2023 schedule developed a bit of a reputation as being one of the easier one in the ACC. For 2024, the schedule does take a bit of a step forward in terms of difficulty.

With that being, Louisville Report will rank every game on the Cardinals' 2024 schedule by difficulty, going from easiest to toughest:

12. vs. Austin Peay (Aug. 31)

Nothing against Austin Peay, but they have the distinction of being the only FCS school on Louisville's schedule in 2024, not to mention that this will be the season-opener for the Cardinals. Additionally, the Governors' roster was flipped on its head after head coach Scott Walden left for UTEP.

11. vs. Jacksonville State (Sept. 7)

Led by former West Virginia and Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez, Jacksonville State had a successful first season in Conference USA last year, going 9-4. However, the Gamecocks lost a lot of production from 2023, on top of the fact that this is also at home for Louisville.

10. at Stanford (Nov. 16)

Stanford was one of the worst teams in all of the FBS last season, going just 3-9 overall, with their 63.2 PFF rating being dead last in the Power Five. Louisville does have to go on the road to face this ACC newcomer, but they shouldn't struggle against what is one of the worst defenses in football.

9. vs. Pitt (Nov. 23)

While Pitt was able to pull off a stunning upset over Louisville last season, they're very much on the downturn after going 3-9. They still have some talented pieces on defense, but their offense in one of the worst in the ACC. With this game being at home, Louisville's returners will want blood after spoiling their undefeated season.

8. at Virginia (Oct. 12)

The start to the Tony Elliott era in Charlottesville hasn't exactly gone as planned, as Virginia has posted back-to-back three win seasons. There is some potential on offense thanks to the QB tandem of Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea, but their defense has a lot of issues. However, Louisville-Virginia games have always had an element of weirdness to them, and this game is on the road.

7. vs. Georgia Tech (Sept. 21)

This game has shootout written all over it. Georgia Tech wound up having one of the best offenses in the ACC, anchored by gun-slinging quarterback Haynes King. Defensively, however, things were so bad that the Yellow Jackets demoted their DC midway through the season. GT will certainly make this interesting, but being at home helps Louisville tremendously.

6. at Boston College (Oct. 25)

It's been a whirlwind offseason for Boston College, with Bill O'Brien taking over as the head coach after Jeff Hafley left for the NFL. Thomas Castellanos is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the ACC, and the BC offense could be a headache to deal with on the road. That being said, Boston College did have some trouble on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the front seven.

5. vs. SMU (Oct. 5)

Here is where things start to get interesting. SMU is the ACC newcomer that is by far the most well-equipped have immediate success in a new league. The Mustangs bring back a ton of players from a team that went 11-3 and won the AAC Championship, such quarterback Preston Stone and defensive end Elijah Roberts. Of course, playing teams in the American is vastly different than playing teams in the ACC, but SMU will certainly try to give Louisville all they can handle at L&N Stadium.

4. at Kentucky (Nov. 30)

Kentucky dropped six of their last eight games last season to go 7-6, but next year's Wildcats team should once again have a stout defense. They bring back 15 of their top 18 tacklers including defensive tackle Deone Walker. They'll have to figure out some offensive inconsistencies, but Mark Stoops' teams have always gotten up for the Louisville no matter what their record is. Plus, this game is in Lexington.

3. vs. Miami (Oct. 19)

Is The U finally back? They very well could be, considering they have a supremely talented squad. Between bringing in a multitude of impact transfers such as QB Cam Ward, and retaining several playmakers such as edge rusher Rueben Bain, Miami could very well be the most talent team in the ACC. Of course, they still have Mario Cristobal as their head coach, and this game is at home for Louisville, but the Cardinals will have their hands full against the Canes.

2. at Clemson (Nov. 2)

Clemson might not longer be a yearly threat to win a national championship, but they are still very much a formidable foe. They lost a ton of talent to the NFL Draft, but Tigers should still boast one of the top defenses in the ACC. They just have to sort out their underwhelming offense. But even when taking that into consideration, Louisville has never beaten Clemson (0-8), and they have to travel to Death Valley this season - which is never an easy place to play at regardless of what season it is.

1. at Notre Dame (Sept. 28)

Louisville's first road game of the season will undoubtedly be their hardest contest of the entire season. Notre Dame sports one of the best defenses in all of college football, led by All-American safety Xavier Watts and a handfull of other stars. Their up-and-down passing offense should also get a big boost with the addition of Duke transfer QB Riley Leonard, especially considering the Irish have one of the best offensive lines in football. ND could very well enter the season as a top-five team.

(Photo of Chris Bell: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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