While the Cardinals are likely to make some noise come March Madness, the school’s football team doesn’t look bad, either. Earlier this week, the Atlantic Coast Conference unveiled the 2025 football schedules for the 17 programs.
BetKentucky, your source for the latest Kentucky sports betting news, wanted to know what schools had the hardest and easiest in-conference schedules. To do that, we created the following point system:
1. Way-Too-Early Top 25 Ranking (ESPN) – Home (4 pts), Away (6 pts)
2. Top Half of ACC Standings in 2024 (ESPN) – Home (2 pts), Away (4 pts)
3. Top 5 of ACC Win Percentage All-Time (ESPN) – Home (2 pts), Away (4 pts)
4. Top 25 Transfer Portal Ranking (24/7) – Home (2 pts), Away (4 pts)
5. 26 To 50 Transfer Portal Ranking (24/7) – Home (1 Pt), Away (3 pts)
6. Top 25 Recruiting Ranking (24/7) – Home (2 Pts), Away (4 pts)
7. 26 To 50 Recruiting Ranking (24/7) – Home (1 Pt), Away (3 pts)
8. Bye Week Previous To Game – Home (-2 Pt), Away (-1 pt)
Toughest To Easiest ACC Football Conference Schedules
Rank | Team | Total Points |
1 | Syracuse | 70 |
2 | Louisville | 66 |
T-3 | Miami | 57 |
T-3 | Pittsburgh | 57 |
T-5 | Florida State | 54 |
T-5 | NC State | 54 |
7 | Virginia Tech | 51 |
T-8 | Stanford | 50 |
T-8 | Wake Forest | 50 |
T-10 | Boston College | 49 |
T-10 | Clemson | 49 |
12 | Virginia | 47 |
13 | SMU | 45 |
14 | California | 41 |
15 | Duke | 36 |
16 | Georgia Tech | 30 |
17 | North Carolina | 29 |
For what it’s worth, the ACC did not just decide to hand North Carolina the easiest conference schedule (by our standards) just because the Tar Heels hired Bill Belichick to be the program’s new coach. Conference leaders setup the scheduling in October 2023, this week’s announcement just put dates to those games.
Looking Ahead To 2025 Louisville Football
Coming off a 9-4 season, the Cardinals are likely to be considered among the favorites to win the ACC in 2025. Coach Jeff Brohm has recruited yet another strong transfer portal class, led by former USC quarterback Miller Moss. The Cards also retained several key pieces from an offense that ranked ninth nationally averaging 36.5 points a game and 14th averaging 449.2 yards a game – including running back Isaac Brown, who ran for 1,173 yards to break Lamar Jackson’s team record for rushing yards as a freshman, and Duke Watson, who ran for 597 yards as a freshman this past season.
The schedule, for now, does appear to be a tough one, especially the back half of it. Louisville plays six conference games after its second off week of the season in mid-October. That includes a Friday night trip to the Miami Hurricanes, a visit to the Virginia Tech Hokies, a Friday home game against the Clemson Tigers and a regular-season ACC finale at the SMU Mustangs. How they perform in those four games will likely determine whether the Cardinals make it to the ACC Championship game on Dec. 6.
ESPN happens to believe the Cards won’t just make it to the title game in Charlotte, but they’ll win it as well. In a recent projection for the 2025 College Football Playoff, Louisville was the No. 4 seed, meaning it would win the conference title game and get a bye into the CFP quarterfinals.
Oddsmakers aren’t quite that bullish just yet. BetMGM Kentucky Sportsbook gives the Cardinals odds of +6600 to win the school’s first national title in football. That ranks as the 17th shortest odds on the BetMGM futures board.
USA TODAY photo by Jordan Prather
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
