JR’s top 25 - #8 Louisville

By J.R. Hopwood  |   Wednesday, August 17, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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The Louisville Cardinals come off a season where they finished number one in scoring and had only one loss to a Miami (FL) team they should have beat. A Liberty Bowl win over Boise State capped off what was a fantastic season. In the off-season Head Coach Bobby Petrino pondered the LSU job, left vacant by Nick Saban, but after some careful thinking decided to stay in Louisville.

The Louisville Cardinals offense loses some top talent in LeFors, Shelton and Russell – the top QB, RB and WR respectively. However, this is a case of reloading as QB Brian Brohm, RB Michael Bush and WRs Clark and Tinch are all as talented as their predecessors. The offensive line is experienced and very talented, including C Jason Spitz who has been a 2nd team CUSA player for two straight years. The offensive numbers may slip a little this season, but not much.

The Louisville Cardinals defense returns only five starters from last year's 15th ranked squad. 1st team Conference USA Linebacker Brandon Johnson returns for his senior season and will look to be the defensive anchor. There are some holes left by the departures so matching last years defensive numbers may be a bit of a stretch.
The Cardinals enter their first season in the Big East as the majority pick for the conference title. Although they have suffered a few losses over the off-season, this team is still solid and I don't believe they will miss a beat come September.
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