Greg McElroy stepped outside the box on Tuesday when talking up a possible College Football Playoff contender.
During his Always College Football podcast, the former Alabama star quarterback turned college football analyst departed the SEC circles and focused his energy in the ACC instead. Specifically, McElroy shouted out for everyone to hear that Louisville — yes, Louisville — is a legitimate Playoff contender that fans might not be thinking about as the 2026 season approaches.
McElroy had his reasons for being so high on the Cardinals, who play in a Power 4 conference but don’t always get the attention of some other notable ACC programs. For McElroy, in 2026, Louisville should absolutely be getting that attention nationally.
“Louisville went 9-4 (last season), and I want to tell you how close it came to being 12-1,” said McElroy in his opening statement. “The Cardinals beat the No. 2 team in the country. They went into their game with Miami, knocked off Carson Beck, picked him off 4 times and upset the Canes 24-21 on a Friday night last season.”
McElroy also pointed out that 3 of Louisville’s 4 losses last season came by a combined 7 points, with 2 of the setbacks going to overtime. The only blowout loss, as McElroy mentioned, was a 38-6 setback at SMU.
“If you watched what they are, you’re watching a team that was a couple bounces away from running through the whole league,” he said.
McElroy believes “improvement is likely coming” in 2026 for Louisville, and it starts with head coach Jeff Brohm, the former Cardinals quarterback who has come back to his alma mater and is 28-12 in his first 3 seasons as Louisville’s head coach.
Louisville is a legitimate Playoff contender “hiding in plain sight,” said McElroy, and now it’s up to the Cardinals to continue their ascent this fall under Brohm and back up McElroy’s belief in them.
McElroy also pointed to a friendly schedule that Louisville could use to build up a quality record in chasing that ACC title and also that elusive Playoff berth.
While McElroy touts Louisville as a possible Playoff contender, the traditional powerhouses will battle for those 12 spots that are awarded in December. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds for the top teams to punch their Playoff tickets in 2026:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
