The Monday After: Louisville’s similarities to 2022 TCU have Cardinals emerging as dark horse CFP contender

One of the nice school soccer traditions generally arrives this time of 12 months. Within the primary few weeks of October, there’s a staff that has but to lose a sport and I have no concept whether or not that staff is just right or now not. I’ll watch it win sport after sport and suppose to myself, “OK, but what does it mean?”

This 12 months’s thriller staff? Louisville. 

The Cardinals beat Notre Dame 33-20 on Saturday to strengthen to 6-0 and climbed to No. 14 in the newest AP Top 25 as a consequence. They’re now 3-0 within the ACC with 5 wins over Power Five festival. But, like I mentioned, I will’t inform if it is any just right. Or, no less than, I will’t inform if it is as just right a staff as the only I’ve observed some start evaluating to the Cardinals — a staff from remaining season that had me asking myself the exact same questions round this time.

Is Louisville this 12 months’s TCU?

There are quite a lot of similarities. Like TCU and Sonny Dykes, Louisville is led via an clever, offensive-minded trainer in his first 12 months on the faculty. Jeff Brohm is likely one of the number one causes to imagine on this Cardinals staff as he is lengthy been one of the most extra underrated coaches within the game. Following the win towards Notre Dame, Brohm had received 4 of his remaining six video games towards groups ranked within the best 10 of the AP Top 25. 

Like TCU, Louisville’s offense options rapid, dependable ability place avid gamers who is probably not family names however are in a position to explosive performs. Jawhar Jordan averages 108.8 speeding yards consistent with sport and his 8 speeding touchdowns are tied for fourth nationally. Jamari Thrash is a big-play danger a los angeles Quentin Johnston remaining 12 months, and his 17.3 yards consistent with reception ranks 9th amongst avid gamers with no less than 25 receptions this season.

Then, there is the quarterback scenario. The greatest reason why I’m hung up on whether or not this Louisville staff is any just right is QB Jack Plummer. He’s now not nice, he isn’t horrible, he is simply effective. He’ll make some performs, however I at all times really feel like he is a play clear of making a giant mistake. Plummer has thrown 12 touchdowns to six interceptions, however 5 of the ones touchdowns got here in a win over Boston College. I had the similar issues about TCU’s Max Duggan remaining 12 months, and he ended up in New York as a Heisman finalist. I don’t believe Plummer wishes to e book December lodge lodging for New York simply but, however who is aware of?

Another similarity between the Cardinals and remaining 12 months’s Horned Frogs is an affinity for taking part in in shut video games. If you take away the 56-0 win over Murray State, their 5 wins have come via a mean of eleven.2 issues. Last season, TCU went 6-1 in one-score video games and its first loss wasn’t till a 31-28 defeat to Kansas State within the Big 12 Championship Game. Three of Louisville’s wins have been of the one-score selection, and the Cards are one in every of simplest 5 groups within the nation to have performed no less than 3 one-score video games and win all of them. It’s now not one of the simplest ways to cross about successful video games, nevertheless it makes for an entertaining product that can earn you quite a lot of bandwagon lovers must you stay pulling off the victories.

Will the Cardinals stay doing so? The agenda indubitably works of their desire. They’re one in every of 3 undefeated groups last within the ACC along Florida State and North Carolina, and possible pairings between the 3 groups may not occur excluding a possible ACC Championship Game. Louisville does not have to play Clemson, both. It has 5 ACC video games last with 3 house video games towards Duke, Virginia Tech and Virginia. There also are street video games towards Pitt and Miami. There is not a sport last the Cardinals cannot win.

Of direction, there is no such thing as a sport on there they don’t seem to be in a position to dropping, both. That’s the issue with those Cardinals. Hopefully I’ll determine them out sooner than they are 12-0.

Narrative Flip of the Week

What occurs if Oklahoma wins the Big 12 and reaches the College Football Playoff below Brent Venables sooner than USC wins the Pac-12 and reaches the College Football Playoff below Lincoln Riley?

We simply completed questioning whether or not Louisville is that this 12 months’s TCU. Last 12 months round this time, TCU first began grabbing nationwide consideration after pounding Oklahoma 55-24. It used to be Oklahoma’s 2nd immediately loss, and the next week the Sooners spanked 49-0 via Texas. It used to be a coarse stretch in a disappointing Oklahoma season as the Sooners would end the 12 months 6-7. All of which used to be made worse via staring at USC win 11 video games below Riley as former OU QB Caleb Williams received the Heisman. Things really feel so much other in 2023, regardless that.

The Sooners were given their revenge towards Texas in a 34-30 Red River Rivalry mystery Saturday, and whilst USC is undefeated itself, I’ve were given much more self assurance in Oklahoma than the Trojans presently. Something about suffering to beat Arizona State one week and wanting triple-overtime to handle Arizona the following will have an individual wondering how just right a staff is.

Given how those groups are taking part in (Oklahoma performs protection, too) and the rest schedules, the Sooners seem like the staff to again on this off-field competition.

Caleb Williams Highlight of the Week

I would possibly have doubts about USC’s skill to stay successful video games, however the only factor in regards to the Trojans I don’t doubt is Caleb Williams. As confirmed in this play, he does now not skip leg day.

Punter of the Week

Talk about no just right deed going unpunished. North Carolina’s Ben Kiernan turns a conceivable crisis into a primary down for the Tar Heels and will get completely annihilated for his troubles. The video does not do the hit justice. For that, you want to check out Kiernan’s facemask following the hit.

Return of the King of the Week

In remaining week’s Monday After, I wrote in regards to the Georgia Bulldogs and the way this 12 months’s model does not glance the similar as the groups that received nationwide titles. Well, the staff that beat Kentucky right into a pulp Saturday gave the impression of the type of staff that wins a countrywide name.

What I beloved in regards to the Dawgs efficiency in a 51-13 win used to be how competitive they had been from the soar. Georgia has struggled to run the ball all season and determined to let Carson Beck prepare dinner. Beck tied a career-high with 35 go makes an attempt and did not throw a unmarried go within the fourth quarter. And, surprise of all shocks, being ready to throw the ball successfully spread out the run sport for Georgia overdue!

Georgia’s 5.58 yards consistent with raise towards Kentucky used to be the best possible yards consistent with raise it has had in any sport this season. 

Golden Arm Punter Leaderboard of the Week

I revel in developing stats that do not exist however must, and The Golden Arm Punter is a stat we do not monitor however must. For those that do not know, an arm punt is a time period given to an interception thrown via a quarterback that is thrown deep sufficient downfield to successfully serve as a punt.

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen is the king of arm punts within the NFL. On 3rd down, he is by no means shy about launching a go 55 yards downfield as a result of it is no other than a punt if intercepted. But, if it is stuck, it is a lot other!

So, to determine the most productive arm punter in school, all we have to do is have a look at the typical air yards on a QB’s interceptions. An air backyard is any backyard a go travels previous the road of scrimmage. For this week’s replace, I’m restricting the sector to avid gamers who have thrown no less than 3 interceptions. Consistency is vital, finally.

Thoughts and Prayers of the Week

Thoughts and prayers.

Coaching Decision of the Week

I virtually led this week’s column with Mario Cristobal and Miami’s idiotic choice to hand the ball off within the ultimate seconds towards Georgia Tech as a substitute of merely kneeling out the clock. If you don’t seem to be acutely aware of what took place, Miami had a 20-17 lead within the ultimate minute towards Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets had no timeouts last, and with 33 seconds left within the sport, all Miami had to do used to be kneel.

Instead, it went brain-dead, ran a play, fumbled and watched Georgia Tech rating the game-winning landing. It used to be a mind-numbingly terrible choice and one for which there is completely no excuse. It’s a choice that simplest turns into worse whilst you consider Cristobal made a an identical mistake whilst training Oregon throughout the 2018 season.

We’re susceptible to hyperbole on the planet of sports activities, as smartly as recency bias. However, I don’t believe I’m overreacting once I say it used to be the dumbest training choice I’ve ever observed in a soccer sport. Many training selections we argue about are subjective, however this one turns out cut-and-dried.

Heisman Finalist of the Week

LSU’s win-loss report on the finish of the season will most probably make it unattainable for Jayden Daniels to win the Heisman Trophy, but when he helps to keep taking part in the best way he has been, he wishes to be in New York for the rite. He is probably not the most productive QB within the nation, however there is a robust argument to be made that no one does extra for his staff each and every week than Daniels. He comes up with huge play after huge play whilst taking huge hit after huge hit. In LSU’s win over Missouri, he had to depart the sport for a bit of after taking a monster hit on a landing run simplest to see the landing taken off the board due to a conserving name.

Whoopsy Daisy Rate Update of the Week

Whoopsy Daisy Rate is a statistic that divides a quarterback’s fumbles and interceptions via their snaps to decide how steadily they dedicate a Whoopsy Daisy. It is a statistic at the reducing fringe of science and knowledge evolution in soccer that can in the future alternate the arena.

College Football Playoff Projection of the Week

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma

Until the following Monday After!