Louisville Football Bowl Projections 11-2-2015

Mark BlankenbakerNovember 2, 2015

The Cards finally at .500 for the first time this year. At 4-4 with 4 games to play Louisville needs 2 more wins to gain bowl eligibility for the 2015 season. We’re still sticking with Jason Kirk, Jerry Palm, Brett McMurphy and Mark Schalbach for now, but the first set of College Football Playoff Rankings will be released tonight at 7:00 and much more of this will come into focus then.

Jason Kirk: Military Bowl vs. Navy 12/28

Jerry Palm: Sun Bowl vs. California 12/26

Brett McMurphy: Independence Bowl vs. Central Michigan 12/26

Mark Schalbach: Military Bowl vs. Navy 12/28

Some of the projections moved Louisville down in the pecking order this week. The Cards’ performance in a 1-point win over Wake Forest didn’t inspire anyone nationally, but the ceiling for Louisville still remains the same as UofL is still aspiring for the Gator/Music City spot. There are a huge number of games on 12/26 the same day that Louisville & Kentucky are set to square off in hoops at Rupp Arena…..the right match-up on that day (i.e. different time) would be OK, but the day after Christmas is a tough sell.

We did get some clarity in the Coastal division with UNC beating Pitt and Duke falling to Miami. At the moment North Carolina stands at the top of the Coastal Division along with Clemson in the Atlantic. There is a lot to still work through and Louisville could certainly still miss a bowl. The Syracuse and Virginia games at PJCS will determine a great deal.

ACC Bowl Tie-Ins

(My best guess currently)

-Notre Dame receives an ACC’s tie-in bowl if it is not chosen for New Year’s Six

Orange Bowl (12/31, 4 or 8 p.m.) is a College Football Playoff Destination in 2015. -> (Clemson)

Peach Bowl (12/31, Noon) & Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1, 1 p.m.): If the ACC Champion is not in the playoff they will appear in either the Peach or Fiesta Bowls. If an ACC Champion is in the CFB Playoff the next highest ranked team appears in one of these two games. -> (Florida State)

Russell Athletic Bowl (12/29, 5:30 p.m.): The RAB gets the 1st selection after the NY6 bowls. Set to play the #3 team from the Big XII -> (Notre Dame)

Tier 1 bowls (or Pool 1 Bowls):

The Tier 1 games get the first picks of ACC Teams after the NY6 and RAB teams are slotted. Generally these games are selected with geography & match-up in mind and are looked at as equal bowl spots.

Music City Bowl (12/30, 7 p.m.) and Tax Slayer Bowl (1/2 at noon): ACC will appear in one bowl, but not both. They will play an SEC team. Last year, ACC was represented by Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl. This is a 6-year deal and the two bowls must have an 3 ACC schools during the term of the agreement. -> (Louisville)

Belk Bowl (12/30, 3:30 p.m.) vs. SEC -> (North Carolina)

Pinstripe Bowl (12/26, 3:30 p.m.) vs. Big Ten -> (Duke)

Sun Bowl (12/26, 2 p.m.) vs. Pac-12 -> (Miami)