Louisville Football Bowl Projections: 2023 Week 13
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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