Louisville Football Bowl Projections: End of 2024 Regular Season

College football's postseason is almost here, and the Cardinals' postseason destination is back to being murky.

Nov 30, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; A Louisville Cardinals cheerleader runs with the Cardinal flag during the third quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Bowl season is almost here. The regular season is now in the rear view mirror, and in less than a week, college football's complete slate of postseason games - including the College Football Playoff - will officially be set.

This time last week, bowl projectors were in near-unison as to where they thought the Louisville football program would be going. This week? Not so much.

Between the 12 projections, seven different bowls have been tabbed as the Cardinals' postseason destination. There are two that have separated themselves from the pack, though: the Sun Bowl is now the favorite with four and is the one gaining the most recent traction (particularly against Washington), while the Duke's Mayo Bowl got three nods.

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. 8, 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 college football's regular season now in the rear view mirror, here are bowl projections for Louisville across various publications:

Updated: Sat., Dec. 7 at 1:45 p.m. EST

ESPN

• Projector: Kyle Bonagura
• Bowl/Matchup: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Rutgers
• Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
• Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. EST

• Projector: Mark Schlabach
• Bowl/Matchup: Sun Bowl vs. Washington
• Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Tex.
• Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. EST

CBS

• Projector: Jerry Palm
• Bowl/Matchup: Military Bowl vs. East Carolina
• Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Mary.
• Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 28 at 5:45 p.m. EST

247Sports

• Projector: Brad Crawford
• Bowl/Matchup: Sun Bowl vs. Washington
• Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Tex.
• Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. EST

The Athletic

• Projector: Scott Dochterman and Stewart Mandel
• Bowl/Matchup: Sun Bowl vs. Washington
• Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Tex.
• Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. EST

Sports Illustrated

• Projector: Patrick Andres
• Bowl/Matchup: Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. BYU
• Location: Camping Wold Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
• Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 28 at 3:30 p.m. EST

Athlon Sports

• Projector: Steve Lassan
• Bowl/Matchup: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Minnesota
• Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
• Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. EST

College Football News

• Projector: Staff Pick
• Bowl/Matchup: Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Iowa
• Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
• Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. EST

Action Network

• Projector: Brett McMuprhy
• Bowl/Matchup: Sun Bowl vs. Washington
• Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Tex.
• Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2:30 p.m. EST

USA TODAY

• Projector: Erick Smith
• Bowl/Matchup: Gator Bowl vs. Missouri
• Location: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7:30 p.m. EST

Sporting News

• Projector: Bill Bender
• Bowl/Matchup: Independence Bowl vs. Kansas State
• Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
• Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 28 at 9:15 p.m. EST

College Football Network

• Projector: Oliver Hodgkinson
• Bowl/Matchup: Reliaquest Bowl vs. Minnesota
• Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
• Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 12:00 p.m. EST

(Photo via Jordan Prather - Imagn Images)

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