By Mike Gilpatrick–
The College Football Playoffs committee’s job got easier after Louisville’s loss to Houston. The Cards flat out laid an egg against on the national stage against an unranked Cougars team in U of L’s worst loss of the season.
But Louisville fans should not give up on the Cards yet.
This season already is one of the best in Louisville football history. It is undoubtedly the best in the Bobby Petrino’s second era. This season, the Cards beat opponents by more than 30 points on seven separate occasions. Louisville rose to third in the Associated Press rankings in two separate weeks.
Of course, the only thing that really matters is an appearance in the coveted College Football Playoffs. Even though Louisville won’t make the playoffs this season, this year is far from a failure.
For starters, Louisville wasn’t predicted to do as well as they’ve done. Most media outlets predicted the major ACC match-up would be Florida State versus Clemson. In fact, the biggest ACC game of the year was in October when the Cardinals and Tigers faced off in Death Valley.
Many experts also said that the Cards would finish 9-3, losing to to Florida State, Clemson, and Houston. Not only did Louisville beat Florida State 63-20, but the Cards were a yard away from potentially beating Clemson.
Whatever fans do, they should not overreact to this Houston loss.
Yes, Thursday was a tough loss. Yes, Louisville will not make the playoff. But this team still exceeded many expert’s expectations. Unless Clemson loses one of their final games, Louisville will likely go to the Orange Bowl. Additionally, Lamar Jackson is still the Heisman favorite.
Instead of throwing the season away, fans should come out and support the Cards. Louisville was in the playoff race longer than they were supposed to. It may have not been what Louisville fans hoped for, but it’s still a good season regardless.
Photo by Laurel Slaughter / The Louisville Cardinal
