Louisville

The Cardinals enter 2026 built around a veteran foundation supplemented by strategic portal additions, a combination that could keep them competitive in an unpredictable ACC landscape. Louisville grades out 30th nationally at +6.4 points per game, with balanced contributions from an offense ranked 29th (+3.3) and defense ranked 32nd (+3.2). The portal work was extensive — 39 departures cost 46.5 PPA while 31 arrivals added 133.7 PPA, headlined by Vanderbilt transfer Tre Richardson (43.4 PPA) and Florida State's Lawayne McCoy (30.8 PPA) bolstering the receiving corps. New defensive coordinator Mark Ivey takes over a unit that lost edge pressure production but retains enough pieces to maintain respectability.

JP+ projects 7.7 wins for the Cardinals, who face their toughest tests against Ole Miss on neutral ground, Florida State at home, and North Carolina on the road. The quarterback situation remains unsettled after Miller Moss departed, creating uncertainty at the sport's most important position alongside defensive front questions that give this roster a somewhat fragile feel despite the talent additions. If the new signal-caller emerges quickly and Ivey's defense maintains pressure up front, Louisville could push toward nine wins in a chaotic conference. If continuity issues linger on both sides of the ball, the Cardinals risk falling closer to six wins despite their veteran foundation.