2024 SMU Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 6: Louisville

DALLAS – The Atlantic Coast Conference really rolled out the red carpet for SMU’s arrival into the conference. A week after playing the conference’s reigning champion, the Mustangs will face Louisville, a team most prognosticators will probably rank just behind Florida State in their preseason predictions.

As fellow staff writer Andy Hodges pointed out in a recent column, SMU’s first ACC road game falls in the middle of an important three-game stretch.

Here’s an early preview of the Mustangs’ sixth opponent of the 2024 season, Louisville.

By the time SMU travels to Louisville, SMU coach Rhett Lashlee will know who the Cardinals quarterback will be. However, here in June, there’s no clear answer.

The Cardinals have eight quarterbacks under center, none of whom are last year’s starter (Jack Plummer, who signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent). Harrison Bailey is the only quarterback with experience playing for Louisville and it was one game (3-for-5, 51 yards, TD). One of the seven other quarterbacks is graduate transfer Tyler Shough. Last year with Texas Tech, Shough compiled 746 passing yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

Whoever lines up under center will work with a new running back, too. Last year’s top rushers, Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo, are in the NFL. The Cardinals also lost their top receiver, but do return Chris Bell (29 receptions, 407 yards, 2 TDs) and brought in Alabama transfer Ja’Corey Brooks who has 57 receptions, 896 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career in Tuscaloosa.

Louisville’s defense may end up being the unit at the end of the season. It’s a defense that returns its top two tacklers from 2023, linebacker T.J. Quinn (91 tackles, one interception) and defensive back Devin Neal (74 tackles, four interceptions, six passes defended).

Phil Steele’s annual College Football Preview magazine has each of the Cardinals’ defensive units ranked in the top five of the ACC. He also has the defensive line and secondary for the Cardinals ranked in his top 25 national rankings and has the linebackers at No. 30.

Louisville plays Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. the week after opening its own ACC schedule against Georgia Tech. The Fighting Irish will be the best team Louisville faces prior to SMU traveling to the land of horse racing and bourbon. The Mustangs could benefit from a Louisville team dealing with the consequences of playing a tough opponent.

Realistically, SMU will enter this game with a 5-1 record, at best. Florida State will be a tough challenge for the Mustangs and not many will pick them to win (but, hey, anything can happen, right?). How the Mustangs perform against BYU and TCU will give us a better idea of how they’ll fare against Louisville. If SMU wins both of those games, the Cardinals will be in serious trouble.

Date: October 5
Time: TBD
TV: TBD
Location: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
Series: SMU leads the series 2-0
Last Meeting: SMU and Louisville haven’t played each other in 40 years. The Mustangs and Cardinals last played during the 1984 season with SMU winning 41-7. The two teams met the year prior, too, and SMU once again 24-6.

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