Slim margins separated the Louisville Cardinals from ACC contention this season.
As it was, they finished 5-3 in conference play, tied for fourth place and two games back of second-place Clemson, which obviously defeated SMU in the ACC title game to earn the league’s automatic bid into the College Football Playoff.
Those three defeats — plus a nonconference loss at Notre Dame — each came by seven points or fewer. Prior to Louisville’s disastrous collapse in a 38-35 loss to Stanford — a game it led by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter, before a wild last-minute sequence saw Stanford kick a game-winning, 52-yard field goal as time expired — the Cardinals had been defeated by three opponents whose combined record is now 32-5. Two of them, Notre Dame and SMU, are in the CFP. And the Cardinals defeated ACC champion Clemson, 33-21, on Nov. 2.
So this was a different kind of season for Louisville (8-4, 5-3) than it was for Washington (6-6, 4-5). The two will meet for the first time ever in this year’s Sun Bowl, scheduled for an 11 a.m. PT kickoff on Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas.
As has become customary this time of year, second-year Louisville coach Jeff Brohm was asked on Sunday if he knew of any players who might opt out of the bowl game.
“I’m sure some things are going to pop up here in the next couple weeks,” Brohm said. “... At this point, I’m not aware of that. But I would think before we start practice, we might have some things pop up.”
Near as I can tell, none of the following 10 players — Louisville’s key performers on both sides of the ball — have made any sort of public declaration to suggest they won’t play in the bowl game. If that happens, I’ll update accordingly.
For now, here are 10 Louisville players to know before you tune in on New Year’s Eve.
