Is a Bowl In The Cards For Louisville?

Despite finishing with a losing record in 2020, the Louisville football program is still bowl eligible. Will they get an invite?

(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Atlantic Coast Conference Pool)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - In spite of everything that had transpired over the course of the 2020 season, ranging from a plunging turnover margin to the South Carolina rumors regarding head coach Scott Satterfield, the Louisville football program still found a way to end the regular season on a positive note.

The Cardinals honored their 18 seniors in the best way they could have, responding to a slow start with stern effort and crisp execution, resulting in Louisville throttling Wake Forest by over three touchdowns on Senior Day at Cardinal Stadium.

Combined with the Early Signing Period starting on Wednesday, where the Cardinals are expected to sign most of, if not all, their commits from one of the best on-paper recruiting classes in school history, and Louisville will head into the offseason with a fair amount of positive momentum.

But, the offseason might not be here just yet. While Louisville did end the regular season with a record of 4-7, a mark that would normally be well below bowl qualifications, a 2020 postseason appearance is not out of the question.

Back in October, the NCAA made the call to waive the win requirement to play in a bowl for the 2020 season, thus making all 127 FBS teams bowl eligible. So even at three games under .500, the Cardinals still could wind up tasting the postseason.

The problem, however, is that several bowls with Atlantic Coast Conference tie-ins have already been scrapped. As of Sunday, Dec. 13, four bowls with ACC tie-ins will not be played this bowl season. The Holiday, Quick Lane & Sun Bowl were cancelled; and the Fenway Bowl, which was set to debut this postseason, was pushed back to 2021.

On the other hand, three ACC schools that are ahead of Louisville in the conference standings have opted out of participating in a bowl this year: Boston College, Pitt, and most recently Virginia. That leaves eight schools ahead of Louisville, but Notre Dame & Clemson could help their case if both make the College Football Playoff.

As of now, until the bowl schedule gets shaken up again, here is the bowl hierarchy for the ACC this season:

1: College Football Playoff
2: Orange Bowl
3: Cheez-It Bowl, Duke's Mayo Bowl, Gator Bowl, Military Bowl, Outback Bowl (if ACC Orange Bowl opponent is from the Big Ten)
4 (ONE of the following): Gasparilla Bowl, Birmingham Bowl, First Responder Bowl

If the ACC gets two teams in the CFP, and the Big Ten gets into the Orange Bowl, that would mean that nine teams from the league will go bowling. If not, that number will drop to seven at very minimum, because between Notre Dame & Clemson, the ACC is guaranteed at least one spot in the CFP.

Will Louisville get one of those 7-9 spots? It's very possible. In fact, in CBS Sports' Jerry Palm's most recent bowl projections, he has the Cards squaring off against the Navy Midshipmen in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28.

But then you have to consider if Louisville would even accept a bowl invitation if given one at all. Boston College, Pitt and Virginia all cited similar reasons for opting out of bowl season: they were ready for the strain of the unusual 2020 season to end, and wanted a chance to spend the holidays with their families.

Could Louisville make the same decision? When asked about it after their win vs. Wake Forest, Satterfield said that he was unsure, and that they had not even had that discussion yet.

“We've not talked about it in any form or fashion," he said when asked if Louisville would accept or decline a bowl invitation if presented one. "I think it's so much up in the air, I couldn't answer that question.”

It's safe to assume that talk with the team is coming soon though, if it already hasn't happened. I could see it going either way. They might want to take the momentum from the Wake Forest game and ride it into a bowl, or they could be ready to pull the plug for reasons similar to BC, Pitt & UVA.

Time will tell, and I have a feeling we'll know sooner rather than later.

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