Louisville Football Bowl Projections: 2024 Week 7

Following a wild week six in college football, the Cardinals' postseason destination got a little murkier.

Oct 5, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) looks to pass against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the first quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program was starting to see some uniformity in their bowl projections, but after a wild week six, they're starting to get a little more diversified again.

For starters, the Cardinals suffered their second loss in a row with a 34-27 loss to SMU. On top of that, multiple top-15 teams in college football ran into speed bumps this past weekend. As a result, while the Gator Bowl is still a popular postseason pick for the Cardinals, a few other bowls are still being picked by projectors.

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 six 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: Gator Bowl vs. Texas A&M
• Location: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Date/Time: Thursday, Jan, 2 at 7:30 p.m. EST

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

CBS

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

247Sports

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

Athlon Sports

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

College Football News

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

Action Network

• Projector: Brett McMurphy
• Bowl/Matchup: Pinstripe Bowl vs. Wisconsin
• Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
• Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 28 at 12:00 p.m. EST

USA TODAY

• Projector: Erick Smith
• Bowl/Matchup: Military Bowl vs. Memphis
• Location: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Mary.
• Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 28 at 5:45 p.m. EST

College Football Network

• Projector: Oliver Hodgkinson
• Bowl/Matchup: Military Bowl vs. Army
• Location: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Mary.
• Date/Time: Saturday, Dec., 28 at 5:45 p.m. EST

(Photo of Tyler Shough: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

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