LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville football could be on the precipice of something special. Say what you want, and football pundits across the country already are. The conference schedule was favorable. Pittsburgh was a bad loss. Louisville could've lost any of those early season games. It could still lose any game on its schedule.
We get it.
Now take a look at the scoreboard. Louisville is 7-1. It is 4-1 in the ACC. Whether it goes to its first ACC Championship game is in its own hands. The Cardinals rank No. 15 nationally. When the College Football Playoff selection committee releases its first set of rankings Tuesday night, Louisville will be on there.
I'm not here to put Louisville forward as a playoff contender. But there can be no argument: Louisville is a contender to play in the ACC Championship game. BetKentucky.com lists the Cardinals' most likely bowl destination as the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
A berth in either or both of those games would be a game-changer for Louisville football in its first season under Jeff Brohm. Full stop.
That Louisville is in this position is remarkable. That it has done it behind a running game and a stout defense is even more remarkable. That it has done it with 25 transfer portal addition has gotten attention.
This thing is just getting going for Brohm. It would be tempting for Louisville fans to say, "What? We're here already?"
No, Louisville football hasn't arrived. But it could be arriving for another taste of the big time. And if Louisville has proven anything, it is quite capable of drinking it all in.
Amid that, Brohm knows the challenge. When teams get in this position, they either get sharper because of the opportunity before them, or they embrace the success, and it finds a way to elude them.
I mentioned all of this (in a less wordy, more succinct way) in a question to Brohm on Monday. He promptly turned around and ran. He wasn't taking the bait.
"I don't think it's too complicated," Brohm said. "We ensure (focus) blocking everything else out of the mix. Looking at anything other than the next game as a team and as coaches can get you in trouble. I've been burned enough times, I'm sure others have as well. So, it's as simple as that. Let's improve this week and try to get better and win this next football game. And I think looking at whatever else happens is great when the season's over but until then, for us it's our job to just try to figure out a way to beat Virginia Tech."
Sure, one game at a time. But is that really practical in an age of social media and news alerts, when every new ranking pops up on the phones of players? Brohm said the battle to block everything else out began even before the season began.
"Well, fortunately, we address it almost every week," Brohm said. "We addressed it in the offseason. We addressed it in fall camp. We talk about it whenever we can and that's really to eliminate the pressure of looking at where we're going to be at the end of the year. Everybody wants to be a good spot. It's like before the game starts. You want to win the game, But don't worry about where you're going to be at the end of the game. You better figure out ways to do your part one play at a time to get there.
"It's OK to look at. It's fine," Brohm went on. "You want to want them to see what can happen if you do things well and if you perform at a high level, because everyone else is going to see it and yes, I'm going to see it on my phone. My family is, our players' families. But things crumble real fast if you lose. So ,it's as simple as just trying to go to work."
Offensive lineman Eric Miller said that the goal isn't to ignore the speculation. That's not realistic. But the goal is to handle it.
"It's out there," he said. "It's kind of in the back of everyone's mind. But it's still a one-game season. Virginia Tech is the only game on our schedule right now. If people outside the building and on social media want to forecast and all that, it's fine. But inside this building, we're only worried about Virginia Tech."
Related Stories:
- Louisville jumps to No. 15 in AP poll after Saturday's win over Duke
- BOZICH | Duke, former Louisville players witness Brohm's magic in Cards' 23-0 win
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