Kentucky Wildcat Football – Know Your Enemy: Louisville Cardinals

GAME 1

#25 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012 – 3:30pm
PAPA JOHNS CARDINAL STADIUM – LOUISVILLE, KY
TV – ESPN

KENTUCKY LEADS SERIES 14-10

LAST FIVE MEETINGS
9/17/2011: Louisville 24 KENTUCKY 17
9/4/2010: KENTUCKY 23 Louisville 16
9/19/2009: KENTUCKY 31 Louisville 27
8/31/2008: KENTUCKY 27 Louisville 2
9/15/2007: KENTUCKY 40 Louisville 34

Here we go. It is officially football time in the Bluegrass and personally, I LOVE that this game is the season opener. I also love the fact that the Cardinal team and fans seem very overconfident in this game. I admit as far as rivalries go in college football, this is a bit overlooked one. It’s not Florida/FSU. Or Michigan/Ohio State. Or Alabama/Auburn. But it is a HUGE deal in the Commonwealth and after this game, we should get a good gauge of both teams and what to expect.

Louisville comes into the game ranked #25 and this is just the fourth time in the series history that a team has been ranked. Let’s take a quick look:

9/1/2002: KENTUCKY 22 @ #17 Louisville 17
9/4/2005: #12 Louisville 31 @ KENTUCKY 24
9/3/2006: @ #13 Louisville 59 KENTUCKY 28
9/15/2007 @ KENTUCKY 40 #9 Louisville 34

Only one of these four games in which Louisville was ranked and Kentucky was not has been decided by more than a touchdown. Louisville just snuck into the top 25 and is a 14 point favorite, which is absurd.  If  you can find a Louisville fan to even give you double digits, take it. As this is game one, anything can happen.

With that said, let’s meet the Cardinals.