Scoreboard Watching: Games to Track During Louisville's First Bye Week

Here are some games for Louisville fans to watch during the Cardinals' first bye week of the 2024 season:

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Cataurus Hicks (81) warms up ahead of their game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Another college football Saturday is here! But unfortunately for fans of the Louisville football program, they'll have to wait until next weekend to see the Cardinals take the field, as they're on their first of two bye weeks of the season.

While Louisville (2-0, 0-0 ACC) is not in action this weekend, there are still plenty of games around college football involving future and past Cardinals opponents. This will give fans both a glimpse into the future of what to expect, and perhaps a team to pull for in hopes of boosting Louisville's strength of schedule.

Here are a few games Louisville fans should keep tabs on this weekend:

No. 24 Boston College (2-0, 1-0 ACC) at No. 6 Missouri (2-0, 0-0 SEC)

Channel: SEC Network at 12:00 p.m. EST
Future Date/Past Result: Louisville travels to Boston College on Friday, Oct. 25.

If you thought this game was going to be a top-25 matchup just a couple weeks ago, you're lying to yourself. While this showdown might not be super alluring on a national level, it give other teams in the ACC - including Louisville - to see how good Boston College really is.

The jury is still out on how good (bad?) Florida State truly is, and BC walloped an FCS opponent last weekend. But in that time, dual threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos seems to have taken a massive step forward. Plus, that defense very much controlled the line of scrimmage against the 'Noles.

Going to Columbia to face Luther Burden III, Brady Cook and the Tigers will certainly be no easy feat considering Mizzou is one of the top teams in the SEC. But if BC can be competitive, or outright win, Louisville's matchup in Chestnut Hill is going to get a lot more interesting.

Ball State (1-0, 0-0 MAC) at No. 10 Miami (2-0, 0-0 ACC)

Channel: ACC Network at 3:30 p.m. EST
Future Date/Past Result: Louisville hosts Miami on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Miami is kinda in the same boat that Boston College is in. We don't know how good or bad Florida is, and they put a beatdown on an FCS team last weekend. That being said, we're probably not going to learn a ton from this matchup, either.

Ball State is one of the worst teams in the MAC, and the Canes clearly have the much more talented roster. If anything, it will be noteworthy to see if Miami takes care of business again vs. an overmatched foe like they did the last couple weekends.

That being said, some of The U's top playmakers are emerging as must-see TV. QB Cam Ward looks like a Heisman Trophy contender, and that defense has looked suffocating early. Time will tell if they can keep this up and Mario Cristobal doesn't drop the ball again.

No. 18 Notre Dame (1-1) at Purdue (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

Channel: Paramount+ at 3:30 p.m. EST
Future Date/Past Result: Louisville travels to Notre Dame on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Well now, this matchup is certainly a lot more intriguing given what happened last weekend in South Bend. Just two weeks into the season, we already have what will likely be the biggest upset of the season when Notre Dame fell to NIU as a 28.5-point favorite.

Notre Dame's defense, given the star power they have on that side of the ball, looks about as advertised and one of the top units in the country. As for their offense? It looks to be completely disheveled, with QB Riley Leonard being the primary reason why.

Louisville's upcoming matchup against the Fighting Irish already looks a lot more winnable than it did just a week ago. If they struggle to take down Purdue, it's not inconceivable that the Cards could be favorites in a couple weeks.

VMI (0-2, 0-0 SoCon) at Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-1 ACC)

Channel: ACC Network Extra at 3:30 p.m. EST
Future Date/Past Result: Louisville hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 21.

This is your classic "get right game." After looking like one of the top teams in the ACC over the last couple weeks, Georgia Tech was humbled up at Syracuse for their first loss.

We won't learn a ton from this game considering VMI is an FCS team, but we do know a couple things about the Jackets so far. They have one of the top offenses in the ACC, and QB Haynes King has several weapons at his disposal.

As for their defense? They were torn apart by the Orange last week after looking promising to start the year. It will be interesting to see how this side of the ball rebounds ahead of their matchup with Louisville next week.

West Virginia (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) at Pitt (2-0, 0-0 ACC)

Channel: ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. EST
Future Date/Past Result: Louisville hosts Pitt on Saturday, Nov. 23.

The Backyard Brawl is one of the best rivalries in all of college football. This year's matchup should serve as an incredibly fun one to watch, and one that could show what Pitt's ceiling could be.

By no means do the Panthers look like world beaters. But they do deserve some credit for pulling themselves out of the hole they were in against Cincinnati to win that one. Not to mention that their offense, especially QB Eli Holstein, doesn't look like a complete liability like it was last year.

Time will tell how Pitt will fair against tougher teams on the schedule (or if their defense can get their act together). Regardless, I still maintain the belief that Louisville's returners will want revenge for last season no matter what Pitt looks like.

Maryland (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten) at Virginia (2-0, 1-0 ACC)

Channel: ACC Network at 8:00 p.m. EST
Future Date/Past Result: Louisville travels to Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Lets get one thing straight before I say what I'm about to say: Virginia is still one of the worst teams in the ACC and that probably will not change much this season. But... they do have a good opportunity in front of them.

Maryland is a solid Big Ten team, and they should have beaten Michigan State last weekend. Additionally, Virginia's offense has a sneaky good - albeit very inconsistent - quarterback at the helm in Anthony Colandrea. He himself could be an X-Factor in some games down the line.

Plus, I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up Louisville's tighter-than-expected series history with Virginia since joining the ACC - especially in Charlottesville. But if the Cavs struggle against the Terps, Cardinals fans should feel better about that matchup next month.

No. 1 Georgia (2-0, 0-0 SEC) at Kentucky (1-1, 0-1 SEC)

Channel: ABC at 7:30 p.m. EST
Future Date/Past Result: Louisville travels to Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 30.

My goodness... if *South Carolina* was able to do what they did against Kentucky, I shudder (laugh hysterically) to think of what the unstoppable death machine known as Georgia could do.

There's no splitting hairs here: QB Brock Vandagriff and that offensive line looked abysmal against the Gamecocks - who were picked to finish 13th in the SEC during the preseason. Their defense looked fine, but still gave up 24 points through three quarters at home.

Until it actually happens, I still struggle with the concept of Louisville marching into Lexington and finally snapping their losing streak to the Wildcats. But... if UK continues to look this bad, maybe it's actually possible.

Other Matchups to Watch

• No. 4 Alabama at Wisconsin - FOX at 12:00 p.m. EST
• No. 16 LSU at South Carolina - ABC at 12:00 p.m. EST
• Memphis at Florida State - ESPN at 12:00 p.m. EST
• No. 9 Oregon at Oregon State - FOX at 3:30 p.m. EST
• Texas A&M at Florida - ABC at 3:30 p.m. EST
• Washington State at Washington - Peacock at 3:30 p.m. EST
• No. 12 Utah at Utah State - CBS Sports Network at 4:30 p.m. EST
• Colorado at Colorado State - CBS at 7:30 p.m. EST

(Photo of Cataurus Hicks: Clare Grant - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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