2026 FSU Schedule Preview: Louisville Cardinals

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The last two times Florida State football has taken the field against Louisville, head coach Mike Norvell picked up two of his best wins while in charge of the Seminole program. However, with this matchup sandwiched between two in-conference games, including Miami a week later, a loss to the Cardinals could kick the hot-seat talk into high gear as the season gets its legs.

Florida State vs. Louisville Cardinals

Date: Friday, Oct. 9, 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Location: Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky

Previous matchup: W; 16-6 (2023 ACC Championship Game)

All-time series: FSU leads 18-6

Louisville Cardinals: 2026 Team Preview

2025 record: 9-4 (4-4)

Two things to know:

• Louisville will be replacing a ton from their nine-win team a season ago, including their top two receiving leaders and top tackler. However, the biggest adjustment will be under center, with Miller Moss moving on to the NFL. In his place, Jeff Brohm added former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz via the transfer portal, and the expectation is that he will be UL’s starting QB in 2026. It never quite worked out for Kienholz in Columbus, given the number of talented recruits and transfers the Buckeyes brought in under center, but the talent has always been there. 247Sports ranked the junior the 11th best quarterback in the country in the 2023 recruiting class, and the South Dakota native was the top-ranked player in his state. It is a gamble for Brohm to go with Kienholz, but his last few transfer portal quarterback bets have paid off.
• As mentioned, with UL replacing many of its top players from a year ago, the Cardinals hit the portal hard. 247Sports ranked Louisville’s transfer portal class 13th after Brohm and his staff took 34 players from the portal, the most of any team in the ACC. While it could be rocky for Louisville early in the season and with games against Ole Miss, SMU, and NC State, Brohm should have his team figured out by the time FSU comes to town.

Three key players

• R-Sr. DL Clev Lubin: Lubin transferred to Louisville from Coastal Carolina last season and instantly turned into one of the best pass rushers in the ACC. The redshirt senior led UL in sacks while earning Third-Team All-ACC honors. At 6’3” and 260 pounds, he can move around the defensive line and create havoc for opposing offenses trying to identify him and minimize the mismatch.
• Jr. RB Isaac Brown: Brown exploded onto the scene in his freshman year in 2024 and has not looked back since. In 2025, he led Louisville in rushing for the second straight year, even while missing three games due to injury. While not the biggest back at 5’9”, he is an absolute burner and electric with the ball in his hands. Brown projects as one of the best rushers in the country and could feast on FSU’s defense if they are as inconsistent against the run as they were last year.
• Jr. WR Tre Richardson: One of the prized pickups out of the transfer portal for Brohm was Tre Richardson, who came from Vanderbilt. Similar to Brown, he is not an imposing physical presence, but his big-play ability fits perfectly into the high-octane Cardinals offense. Richardson finished third on the Commodores in receiving yards in 2025 while leading the team in receptions. Louisville will hope he can replace some of the impact lost from its two wideouts who have now moved on to the NFL.

Florida State vs. Louisville Cardinals: Game preview, predictions

Best Case

A lot of the best-case scenario depends on where Florida State is record-wise when the game is played. Say the Noles are 4-1 coming into this game against Louisville after winning home games against SMU and UVA, while losing a tight one to Alabama. If Florida State wins against UL, the Noles are 5-1 and on an extra day of rest heading down to Miami for a mammoth game in South Florida. How likely is that? Who can say? But that is not the point of the exercise. This game could be a breaking point on the schedule, with UM and Clemson the next two games.

Realistic Case

Realistically, this game plays out a lot like what happened the last time FSU went to Louisville on a Friday night — a shootout. Tony White’s defense gambles too often and gets burned against the usual explosive Brohm offense. Ashton Daniels and the FSU attack hang around throughout the first half, but unlike what happened in 2022, they run out of steam, and UL runs away, increasing the heat on Norvell as Florida State goes as a road underdog to Miami Gardens.

Worst Case

Similar to the best-case scenario, much of the worst-case scenario depends on where Florida State is in the schedule. Say FSU loses to SMU and UVA, and now they are 2-3 with no P4 wins with the calendar flipping to October. A loss to Louisville would sink the Noles to 2-5 with Miami next and difficult rivalry games against Florida and Clemson still on the schedule, almost guaranteeing Florida State will not make a bowl game for the third straight year. No bowl means Florida State almost certainly has to move on from Norvell. Maybe that is not the worst case after all…

2026 FSU football schedule

• Saturday, Aug. 29: New Mexico State Aggies (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee) | 7:00 p.m. (The CW)
• Monday, Sep. 7: SMU Mustangs (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee) | 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
• BYE
• Saturday, Sep. 19: Alabama Crimson Tide (Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.) | 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
• Saturday, Sep. 26: Central Arkansas Bears (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Saturday, Oct. 3: Virginia Cavaliers (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Friday, Oct. 9: Louisville Cardinals (Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Ky.) | 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Saturday, Oct. 17: Miami Hurricanes (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
• BYE
• Saturday, Oct. 31: Clemson Tigers (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Saturday, Nov. 7: Boston College Eagles (Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
• Friday, Nov. 13: Pitt Panthers (Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.) | 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Saturday, Nov. 21: NC State Wolfpack (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
• Friday, Nov. 27: Florida Gators (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee) | 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

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