Louisville Football Bowl Projections: 2023 Week Nine
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program might have been off this past weekend, but their odds of going to a New Year's Six bowl took a dramatic turn for the better.
With both Duke and North Carolina suffering their first loss in ACC play last weekend, many bowl projectors are starting to view the Cardinals (6-1, 3-1 ACC) as the second-best team in the ACC behind Florida State. As a result, Louisville is starting to gain a ton of projections to the Orange Bowl, where a matchup against Ohio State or Penn State would likely be waiting for them.
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 eight 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. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 12:05 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 12:05 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 12:05 p.m. EST
247Sports
Projector: Brad Crawford
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Penn State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 12:05 p.m. EST
Athlon Sports
Projector: Steve Lassan
Bowl/Matchup: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl vs. Ole Miss
Location: Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Date/Time: Friday, Dec, 29 at 12:00 p.m. EST
College Football News
Projector: Staff Pick
Bowl/Matchup: Holiday Bowl vs. Utah
Location: Petco Park in San Diego, Calif.
Date/Time: Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 8:00 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 12:05 p.m. EST
Sporting News
Projector: Bill Bender
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Penn State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 12:05 p.m. EST
USA TODAY
Projector: Erick Smith
Bowl/Matchup: Orange Bowl vs. Ohio State
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec, 30 at 12:05 p.m. EST
College Football Network
Projector: Oliver Hodgkinson
Bowl/Matchup: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. Kansas State
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Date/Time: Thursday, Dec, 28 at 5:45 p.m. EST
(Photo of Jamari Thrash: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)
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