Louisville Football's *Almost* Rivals
This fall will mark Louisville’s seventh season in the ACC, which is insane to think about when it feels like the Cards just joined. But even though we’ve been in the conference for nearly a decade and have played in plenty of annoying games against annoying teams with annoying fan bases, it still doesn’t feel like Louisville has quite found its West Virginia or Cincinnati just yet. So this got me thinking, who is on the shortlist of Louisville’s potential rivals? Who has potential? And who may have barely missed the boat?
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the official and imperishable list of Louisville’s Almost Rivals
On the Short List
Clemson – Of any conference foe that Louisville plays regularly, Clemson has to be at the top or near the top of the list of almost-rivals. Having never met prior to UofL joining the ACC, the Cardinals-Tigers series started off with a bang as the first three games came down to the wire with the 2016 matchup of Lamar v. Deshaun going down as an instant classic. The game had it all: College Gameday. Massive stakes. Highly ranked teams. Budding superstars in the thick of a Heisman race. And a controversial finish.
*trigger warning #1*
What else could a rivalry want? What's that? Oh. Both teams have to win games at some point in order for it to be a rivalry?
MOVING ON!
Wake Forest – Okay so this actually might be a rivalry already, but I’m afraid both parties aren’t fully aware of it. Wakeyleaks was a hell of a ride and left some lingering animosity between the programs that I’m not sure anyone really anticipated nor wanted (prior to the debacle, of course). Couple that with Wake stealing a few wins the last few seasons and the story of Matt Colburn exacting revenge against Bobby (multiple times), and you’ve got a pretty solid foundation. The only problem is that neither fan base really knows what to do with all of this and it just feels weird. Maybe some rivalries are late bloomers.
Florida State – By now you may be sensing a trend that Louisville’s most likely candidates are probably their own divisional foes. The FSU series, like Clemson, got off to a bang as the 2014 defending National Champs came to town and rallied back from a 21-point deficit to win the game. Then 2016 happened and it was amazing. After that both programs fell apart and we’ve gotten sad, albeit exciting, clunkers for the last three seasons. Should the back and forth-ness of this series continue as both programs rebuild, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if this turns into a legit rivalry as these two schools compete for the #2 spot in the ACC for the foreseeable future. But for now, it just doesn’t have the passion to anoint it as a rivalry with the way both fanbases have been licking their wounds as of late. Give it a couple years and let’s get weird.
Virginia – This one’s a little bit of a stretch, and it is mostly due to Virginia’s stupid basketball team, but hey, that’s how some of these things go. Couple an annoying/lopsided basketball rivalry with a football program that has consistently been a pain in the ass for Louisville, even in UofL’s good years, and Virginia is making things pretty interesting. The cherry on top is that UVA HC Bronco Mendenhall has not only spurned, but has flat out ghost Mark Ennis’ interview requests on multiple occasions, which is just hilarious.
*spoiler: he did*
The Potential is There
Virginia Tech – This is not the first, nor will it be the last, time that I express my disappointment that we got Virginia instead of Virginia Tech as our cross-division opponent. The 2006 Gator Bowl had all the makings of a rivalry being born, highlighted by multiple personal foul and unsportsmanlike penalties*, including an ejection, as well as Marcus Vick stomping on the back of Elvis Dumervil’s leg (bad idea). This game had about as many fireworks in a single game that most regular conference series see in an entire decade. Lump that alongside natural rivalry-makers such as regionality and culture, and we’re onto something here.
End divisions. Do Pods. Make this happen.
*Side note: What the hell is up with VT getting chummy with Kentucky teams before and during bowl games? I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the Hokies trying to get in Lynn Bowden’s head, which turned out horribly for them, but damn, y’all. Settle down.
Indiana – Before you send me explicit messages about this one just hear me out. While Louisville has only played Indiana twice in football (1985-1986), there has been plenty of dislike between the two basketball programs over the years, and with a statewide fanbase just across the river, there’s some serious potential here. UofL and IU kickoff a new series in Indy in 2023, followed by home-and-home matchups in ’24 and ’25. While IU hasn’t won a bowl game since 1991 (seriously), Tom Allen has a good thing going there and they aren’t the laughingstock they used to be. If both programs continue to improve this series could be quite sexy.
Miami – The series these teams had in the mid-2000s was heated and produced great games. Unfortunately, because of conference divisions (again, get rid of them) these teams rarely ever meet, and will only do so twice in the current twelve-year ACC cross-division rotation. Well, it was fun while it lasted. You still suck, Devin Hester.
*trigger warning #2*
The Ship Has Sailed
Rutgers – Believe it or not, once upon a time Rutgers football wasn’t a meme. In the mid-to-late 2000s they were actually pretty decent, and they gave Louisville one of its most heartbreaking losses in the program’s history. While there were many other great battles, including Teddy winning in Piscataway with one arm and leg, the series never quite touched the levels of Cincinnati and West Virginia.
*trigger warning #3*
UConn – I’m just putting this here because it was a freaking fair catch. It’s okay though, because UConn football is dead.
South Florida – Similar to Rutgers, USF used to have a solid program, particularly in the mid-2000s with Jim Leavitt, rising as high as #2 in the polls in 2007. Probably the most memorable/frustrating game was the 2005 45-14 blowout upset over Louisville when the Cardinals were ranked 9th in the country. After this game the programs never got along, but like Rutgers, the series was overshadowed by UC and WVU.
Feel free to share your thoughts on these lists, but just know that your opinions are wrong.
Join the discussion here: https://louisville.forums.rivals.com/threads/new-post-louisville-footballs-almost-rivals.49733/