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2026 Louisville Cardinals Football Predictions with Betting Odds and Best Bets

by Ryan Cobbett - 8/25/2026

Louisville Cardinals football predictions Clev Lubin

After having dark horse aspirations a year ago, Louisville will enter this season with the same hopes. They had a strong start to the season, only to completely fold in conference play. This season, Jeff Brohm brought in another talented quarterback via the transfer portal, they have one of the best running backs in the country, and their schedule could really play in their favor this season. The storyline to follow this season isn’t whether or not Brohm can win at Louisville, it is now whether or not he can build a program that can push for conference championship appearances and perhaps even the playoffs.

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Louisville Cardinals Football Summary of Last Season

After September, you could have reasonably thought Louisville was going to be a threat in the ACC. They won their first four games handily and had big hopes to continue their dominance in conference play. Unfortunately, their momentum was slowed when Virginia came to town and knocked off the Cardinals in overtime. Following their first loss, Louisville answered with three straight wins including one over Miami on the road. Unfortunately, November wasn’t kind to them. They stumbled down the stretch, going 1-3 over their final four games, with losses against California, Clemson, and SMU. Brohm and company won their ninth game in the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl, beating Toledo 27-22.

The Louisville offense ranked towards the bottom of the ACC as they averaged 388.8 YPG, though they did manage to record over 30 PPG. Miller Moss led the offense with 2,679 passing yards while completing 64.2% of his passes. He tallied 16 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Moss also added another nine touchdowns on the ground. Isaac Brown led the team with 884 rushing yards on 101 carries and finished the season with seven rushing touchdowns. Keyjuan Brown was a solid backup as he put up another 704 rushing yards on 96 carries, and he recorded six rushing touchdowns. Chris Bell was the Cardinals leading receiver with 917 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. Caullin Lacy finished second with 635 receiving yards, and he was tied with Jaleel Skinner and Nate Kurisky for second on the team with two receiving touchdowns.

As for the defense, they were the strength of the team. They held opponents to just 300.3 YPG, and their 21.1 PPG against ranked fifth in the conference. TJ Quinn led the team with 95 tackles, and he filled up the stat sheet with three sacks, four pass deflections, and two interceptions. D’Angelo Hutchinson finished second on the team with 84 tackles from his defensive back position. Hutchinson also recorded an interception, and he was tied with Tayon Holloway and Rene Konga for a team best five pass deflections. Clev Lubin led the Louisville defense with 8.5 sacks, while Antonio Watts led the team with three interceptions.

2026 Louisville Cardinals Football Key Additions/Losses

Louisville ranks 60th in the country in returning production (53%). Their offense took the biggest hit as they return just 52% from last season, which ranks 73rd in all of college football. One of their biggest losses was Bell (third round) as he was the only Cardinals player drafted last season. Moss, Lacy, and Quinn are all trying their hand in the NFL, and Hutchinson, JoJo Evans Jr., and Kalib Perry all graduated. The Cardinals also lost interior offensive lineman Jordan Church (Texas Tech), running back Duke Watson (UCF), and defensive lineman Jerry Lawson (Oklahoma State) in the transfer portal.

Despite some big losses from last year’s team, Brohm and the rest of his coaching staff did an excellent job filling those holes in the transfer portal. Their biggest addition from the offseason was wide receiver Tre Richardson, who is transferring in from Vanderbilt. The Cardinals also brought in tight end Brody Foley (Tulsa), wide receiver Lawayne McCoy (Florida State), interior offensive lineman Eryx Daughtery (Boston College), quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (Ohio State), running back Marquise Davis (Missouri), and offensive tackle Cason Henry (South Carolina) to round out the offense. On defense they added, safety Koen Entringer (Iowa), edge rusher Tyler Thompson (UNC), safety TJ Banks (Ole Miss), and cornerback Brycen Scott (Elon).

2026 Louisville Cardinals Football Schedule Breakdown

Louisville will have a big September before the schedule becomes much more favorable. They open the season in Nashville against Ole Miss. Then two weeks later they host SMU, with Villanova sandwiched between the two ranked opponents. Ole Miss and SMU are the only ranked teams they have on the schedule to open the season, and neither are a true road game, and only one is a conference game. They end September with Wake Forest at home. The remainder of their home games include Florida State, Stanford, and Pittsburgh. Their remaining road opponents are NC State, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Kentucky. While there are some potential trap games late in the season, if Louisville can beat SMU, they could find themselves perfect in conference play.

2026 Louisville Cardinals Football X-Factors/Big Questions

Can Louisville Reach the ACC Championship Game?

Yes. They put together one of the most complete, yet underrated transfer portal classes during the offseason. They have a lot of experience surrounding Kienholz, which will only help him settle in quicker. The defense will need to return to form, but the offense should be far better this season. The schedule is their best friend. It is not out of this world to think that Louisville could finish the season with a perfect record in the ACC, and potentially 11 wins come November.

Will Jeff Brohm Build Another Successful Transfer Quarterback?

Yes. Brohm did it last year with Moss and a lesser supporting cast. Kienholz arguably has a higher ceiling than Moss ever did, and Brohm has given his new quarterback a lot of experienced weapons around him. They will need to mesh, but even a hiccup against Ole Miss to open the season is not going to ruin their playoff hopes. Kienholz will flourish at his new school. 

2026 Louisville Cardinals Football Notable Odds:

National Championship: +12500

ACC Champion: +750

Heisman Winner- Lincoln Kienholz: +600

Predicted Win Total: 8.5 Games

2026 Louisville Cardinals Football Predictions and Best Bets:

I am going to take the over on the win total. Even a loss to Ole Miss to begin the season won’t shake any confidence in the over. Their conference schedule is incredibly light outside of that home game against SMU. I expect Louisville to have a 10-2 floor, with a 12-0 ceiling. At +750 there is a lot of value to like for the Cardinals to finally break through. Kienholz will need to put it all together for Brohm’s new-look offense, but this is an incredibly talented football team. Don’t sleep on the Cardinals.

Prediction: Over 8.5 Wins, +106

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