Football ranked No. 17 in first Coaches Poll

By Dalton Ray–

USA Today released their first Amway Coaches Poll and football checks in at No. 17. The Cardinals kick off their season on Sep. 2 against Purdue at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Cardinals started last season off at No. 23 in the Coaches Poll and ended at No. 20 after going 9-4. Coach Bobby Petrino is entering his fourth year back with Louisville.

U of L returns eight starters from 2016 and must rely on newcomers to provide depth for the coming year. Led by junior quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Cards’ schedule is headlined by early season matchups against Purdue, Clemson and Florida State.

Alabama is ranked No. 1 with Ohio State, Florida State, USC and Clemson rounding out the top five. The other two ranked ACC schools are No. 18 Miami and No. 23 Virginia Tech. The SEC leads all conferences with six ranked teams.

You can follow Dalton Ray on Twitter @dray5477.

Photo by nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal