Louisville Ranked No. 36 in ESPN's 2022 Preseason FPI

ESPN's Football Power Index is higher on the Cardinals than it was last offseason.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While the Louisville football program did, by definition, improve on their 4-7 record from the 2020 season and get back to a bowl game, their 2021 campaign was still largely disappointing.

Plagued by several fourth quarter collapses, and lackluster play on third downs and red zone defense, the Cardinals finished one game under .500 at 6-7 last season. This included a 4-4 mark in ACC play, and a 31-28 loss to Air Force in the First Responder Bowl.

But with several impacts playmakers, including quarterback Malik Cunningham, returning for next season, there is some reason for optimism in 2022.

ESPN recently released the preseason iteration of their Football Power Index rankings, and it gives Louisville a fair ranking given both a positive and negative circumstances. For those unfamiliar, FPI is a "predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward," vaguely similar to that of SP+.

Where does FPI place the Cards? With a rating of 7.7 - noticeably better than they 2021 preseason rating of 6.3 - they come in at No. 36 in all of FBS. But as it pertains to the ACC, they rank No. 8 in the league and 5th in the Atlantic Division - ahead of only Boston College and Syracuse.

Those last two numbers might sound a bit low, but that's partially due to the ACC being perceived as collectively stronger than it was last offseason. In fact, Louisville's strength of schedule is ranked No. 24 by FPI, and it projects their win/loss record at 6.4-5.7. 

But, if it's any condolences to Louisville fans, it gives the Cardinals a 71.4 percent chance to reach six wins - the normal requirement to reach a bowl game. 

Louisville's 2022 Schedule with FPI Rating & Rankings

Date	Team	FPI Rating	FPI Ranking
Sept. 3	at Syracuse	0.6	62nd
Sept. 9	at UCF	8.3	33rd
Sept. 16	Florida State	9.4	31st
Sept. 24	USF	-5.2	90th
Oct. 1	at Boston College	1.4	59th
Oct. 8	at Virginia	2.7	54th
Oct. 22	Pitt	14.6	9th
Oct. 29	Wake Forest	9.4	30th
Nov. 5	James Madison	-13.7	120th
Nov. 12	at Clemson	23.2	4th
Nov. 19	NC State	9.7	26th
Nov. 26	at Kentucky	11.2	20th

(Photo of Cardinal Stadium via University of Louisville Athletics)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter