What part of Louisville football 2026 schedule will prove toughest?
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Louisville football’s 2026 schedule was released on Monday night.
The Cardinals will have six home games this season, which includes a Week 3 game against SMU, and return to having only one bye (Oct. 24). Over the last two years, all college football teams had two byes because of the calendar having 14 Saturdays in the fall.
UofL will also have two Friday games at home against Villanova in Week 2 and Florida State in Week 6 with possibly one more. Its road game against Georgia Tech will either be on Nov. 6 or 7.
Despite a three-game losing streak near the end of the year, Louisville recorded its third straight season with nine or more wins under head coach Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals concluded the 2025 campaign with a 27-22 Boca Raton Bowl win over Toledo. They began the offseason by signing 20 players from the 2026 high school recruiting class and 30 transfer portal players. The groups rank 33rd and 17th, respectively, according to 247Sports.
As previously reported, UofL will open the season with a neutral site game against Ole Miss during Labor Day weekend in Nashville.
Here’s a look at the Cardinals’ 2026 football schedule:
Louisville football’s easiest stretch
The Cardinals will have a month of relatively easy games between Weeks 6 and 9. They don’t have to travel during that time, have a bye in Week 8 and their three opponents — Florida State, Syracuse and Stanford — combined to win six ACC games last year. While all three should show some improvement this season, it won’t be enough to upset a Louisville team that reloaded in key areas. The Cardinals are also 15-6 at home under Brohm with two of those losses coming against ranked teams.
Louisville football’s toughest stretch
UofL will have back-to-back road games during Weeks 10 and 11 at Georgia Tech and North Carolina, respectively. The Cardinals haven’t played in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, since 2017, which is also the last time they played the Tar Heels. Although UNC underperformed in Bill Belichick’s first year as its head coach, playing on the road will bring its own set of challenges, especially after playing at Georgia Tech.
The Cards’ last two games against the Yellow Jackets have been competitive though they’ve won both: a 39-34 neutral site victory in Atlanta and a 31-19 win in Louisville. This year, Georgia Tech is hosting UofL for only the second time ever. GT won the first time, 46-27, in 2020. The Yellow Jackets will be without quarterback Haynes King, who went a combined 40-for-64 for 625 yards and three touchdowns against the Cardinals the past two seasons. But they signed Alberto Mendoza, who is the brother of 2025 Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza and will compete for the QB1 role.
Louisville football 2026 schedule
- Week 1: Louisville vs Ole Miss in Nashville, Sept. 5 or 6 (ESPN)
- Week 2: Villanova at Louisville, Sept. 11
- Week 3: SMU at Louisville, Sept. 19
- Week 4: Wake Forest at Louisville, Sept. 26
- Week 5: Louisville at N.C. State, Oct. 3
- Week 6: Florida State at Louisville, Oct. 9
- Week 7: Louisville at Syracuse, Oct. 17
- Week 8: BYE, Oct. 24
- Week 9: Stanford at Louisville, Oct. 31
- Week 10: Louisville at Georgia Tech, Nov. 6 or 7 (Flex Friday)
- Week 11: Louisville at North Carolina, Nov. 14
- Week 12: Pittsburgh at Louisville, Nov. 21
- Week 13: Louisville at Kentucky, Nov. 28
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Cardinals football schedule 2026, ACC games at L&N Stadium
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