Louisville Football Bowl Projections: 2023 Week 13

The Cardinals are back to being a consensus pick among projectors to reach a specific New Year's Six bowl.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After clinching a spot in the ACC Championship Game, the Louisville football program is all but assured a spot in a New Year's Six Bowl, barring some sort of complete collapse against Kentucky and Florida State.

This week among bowl projectors, there is some uniformity, as the Cardinals are back to being a consensus pick to reach the Orange Bowl. But, were said uniformity ends is who the projectors think will face Louisville.

The most common school of thought is that Louisville (unless there is massive chaos in front that will vault them into the College Football Playoff) will face the loser of the Ohio State/Michigan game in the Orange Bowl. However, depending on how the final two weeks shake out, it's very possible that the Cardinals will face the loser of the SEC Championship Game between Georgia and Alabama, and some projectors see this taking place.

As a reminder, the ACC utilizes a system where they organize bowls with conference tie-ins into two tiers, but there is no selection order within each tier. The league and their bowl partners "will make team selections based on several factors, including geographic proximity, avoiding repeat appearances and matchups, and regular-season won-loss records," according to the ACC's official website.

The Cardinals will officially learn their postseason draw on Sunday, Dec. 3, following the end of conference championship weekend. The College Football Playoff selection show begins at 12:00 p.m. that day, and Louisville will learn their bowl shortly after.

With 12 weeks of college football now in the rear view mirror, here are bowl projections for Louisville across various publications:

ESPN

Projector: Kyle Bonagura
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Alabama
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

Projector: Mark Schlabach
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

CBS

Projector: Jerry Palm
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

The Athletic

Projector: Scott Dochterman/Stewart Mandel
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

247Sports

Projector: Brad Crawford
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Michigan
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

Athlon Sports

Projector: Steve Lassan
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

College Football News

Projector: Staff Pick
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Georgia
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

Action Network

Projector: Brett McMurphy
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

Sporting News

Projector: Bill Bender
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

USA TODAY

Projector: Erick Smith
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Michigan
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

College Football Network

Projector: Oliver Hodgkinson
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Alabama
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 4:00 p.m. EST

(Photo of Maurice Turner: Sam Navarro - USA TODAY Sports)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic