By Beau Kilpatrick–

ESPN’s College GameDay made its debut at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium where No. 10 Louisville dominated No. 2 Florida State 63-20.

Cardinal fans buzzed all week about the importance of this game premiering on the national stage. The overwhelming discussion among fans at GameDay was Lamar Jackson and the success of Louisville football.

Louisville sophomore, Austin Fertig, believes ESPN GameDay puts Louisville football on the map with other powerhouse programs.

“I think that other teams don’t respect us. We’ve been viewed as a joke, until now,” Fertig said.

Louisville fans welcomed Seminole fans to PJCS with respect and class. FSU fan, Jason Greer, was fascinated with the cabooses on the backside of PJCS.

“Those are pretty cool. We’ve never seen anything like that before,” Greer said.

Drew Polter, a Seminole fan, said Louisville’s sport complex is impressive. Polter said, “The ACC is really top-heavy with Florida [State] and Clemson. You can just see the excitement of the fans here in Louisville.”

Jordan, eight years old, was extremely excited to be at College GameDay. Jordan hopes Jackson gets ten touchdowns. His only concern, “I haven’t got on camera yet.”

William Mullins, a fan with a few more years under his belt, has been waiting on this forever.

“You know you’ve made it when GameDay is here,” Mullins said. “The crowd has been great and our tailgating is always good.”

Chuck Brian, a ticket season holder since PJCS opened, has never seen an atmosphere like this.

“ESPN College GameDay has electrified Cardinal football, this is great. The energy here is amped up times ten,” Brian said.

Louisville’s own Muhammad Ali, The Champ and beloved Cardinal fan, was honored during the game. A butterfly design was showcased beyond the north end zone and displayed on the Cardinal helmets.

Louisville native Gary Hume said, “The Muhammad Ali tribute today is huge. The whole country is going to see this. It could be really good for us.”

This win is arguably the biggest in Louisville history.

Zach James and his brother Brandon put their Cardinal-Wildcat rivalry aside for the game.

“The Sugar Bowl was probably our biggest game so far,” Z. James said. “And with us winning that game and a few others, we want more. It’s different now. We expect to win.”

Fans provided a great atmosphere before and after the game.

Photos by Dalton Ray / The Louisville Cardinal