Last season might go down as one of the most memorable years for underdog teams in college football. The playoff expansion to 12 teams allowed teams like ASU, Boise State, and SMU to have the time of their lives. Boise State, a group of five teams, produced Ashton Jeanty, probably one of the best running backs in college football. ASU, on the other hand, was blessed by Cam Skattebo’s bowling ball rushing ability. Still, several underdog teams were left just short of the mark. And this year, one of those teams from the ACC is on to make that dream come true.

Yes, folks, we are talking about Jeff Brohm’s Louisville Cardinals, who finished 9-4 last year and are now looking loaded to take their 2024 season up a notch. In just his first season with the Cardinals, Brohm showed his prowess and took the team to a 10-4 finish in the 2023 season. What stood out for them was their QB Jack Plummer, who completed 3,204 yards and became one of the Cardinals’ legends. The feat was momentous because of their modest history.

The program, in its more than a century-old history, has just seven 10-win seasons, and the seventh came under Jeff Brohm’s leadership. The next season was a slight step back in 2024, but Brohm’s going all out to finally rectify it. Greg McElroy, in his June 6th ESPN College Football podcast episode, was talking about several dark horse teams that can exceed expectations, and the Cardinals stood out to him in several aspects.

“Moving over to the Louisville Cardinals, I feel like no one’s talking about Louisville this year. No one is talking, but they’ve made great additions in the portal. They have an elite running back. They have a really solid nucleus of wide receivers returning. You still have a lot of talent on defense. Louisville is being slept on almost universally, and it’s time to start paying attention.” The verdict, however, didn’t end here.

McElroy shifted focus to the Cardinals’ 2025 schedule and leaned towards the Cardinals going 4-0 in their non-conference games, saying that “for the most part, kind of manageable all things considered.” Moreover, the ESPN analyst also talked about how the Cardinals’ head coach, Jeff Brohm, has shown his ability over the course of the past two seasons and said, “I’d be surprised if they’re not highly competitive yet again.” That said, the analyst did point towards some major games that can make or break the season, and one of them is against Miami.

Louisville Cardinals will face Miami on 17th October on the road, and that is probably their toughest game on the schedule. The analyst highlighted that the winner of the game could eventually play in the ACC championship. “They’re at Miami. That’s on a Friday, October 17th. Keep that one circled. Very difficult game that might decide which of those two teams will be playing in the ACC championship game.” Apart from Miami, the Clemson game also presents a mounting challenge for Brohm, although it is a home game. Moreover, the Cardinals last year defeated Clemson, that too on the road, so the winning mentality might be there to defeat them.

All in all, the Cardinals are a force to be reckoned with, and they have made all the right moves in the offseason. The head coach has brought in transfers in the wide receiver room, including Dacari Collins (314 yards in 2024) from NC State and Terrance McWilliams coming in from Minnesota. The QB room has Miller Moss, touted to be their starter coming in from the USC Trojans after producing 2,555 yards last season. Other than that, returning players like Isaac Brown, who had a 1,000+ yard season last year, will be pivotal, and Caulin Lacy’s receiving exploits will be a boost. So, McElroy’s message seems simple: other ACC teams, including Clemson, beware.!!

Is Jeff Brohm the most underrated head coach in America?

Jeff Brohm came to Louisville when the program was finishing 7-5 and also led the team to their long-awaited ACC championship game in 2023. The offense that he perfected at Western Kentucky and Purdue is now delivering results for him at Louisville. For context, his teams ranked top 20 in eight of his nine seasons as the FBS head coach, and the head coach has a reputation for developing ‘overlooked’ QBs. So, Miller Moss might not have impressed too much at USC last year, but under Brohm? He seems promising.

So these offensive exploits have led to some praise from Josh Pate. He declared Brohm to be one of the most “underrated” coaches in the country. “Jeff Brohm is my guy. He’s the most underrated head coach in major college football,” Pate said. “People know about him. How often do you hear his name thrown around? If I were to talk to you about the ACC right now, we’d have to talk a minute or two before Jeff Brohm’s name came up. You throw Dabo at me; you should. Cristobal’s name would be mentioned. But Jeff Brohm is right up there.”

Undoubtedly, the Cardinals now have everything stacked for them with Brohm being the ideal fit for them. The offense and defense both look upgraded with 29 players coming in from the portal, and with the addition of Miller Moss and the Brohm factor? Louisville Cardinals might finally make it to the playoffs in 2025 !!