2023 Louisville college football futures odds, props: Cardinals have clear path to ACC title game by avoiding Clemson, Florida State on schedule

It's always challenging to determine which college football teams have the toughest or easiest schedules entering a given season because there is so much turnover at that level, especially now that the transfer portal is unregulated. Pro Football Focus' College edition released its list of easiest 2023 schedules based off opponents' 2022 records, and Louisville has the easiest. The Cardinals are +1000 at DraftKings to win the ACC title for the first time, and that may not be a bad wager due to a slate missing the two best league teams.

Louisville has a new head coach in former Purdue coach and Cardinals quarterback Jeff Brohm. Scott Satterfield shockingly left after last regular season for Cincinnati, which would have been a backward move if the Bearcats weren't headed to the Big 12 this year. Cincinnati hired him to replace Luke Fickell, who left for Wisconsin, less than two weeks before the Bearcats and Cardinals played in last season's Fenway Bowl. Former Louisville receiver and Patriots Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch coached the Cardinals to a 24-7 victory to finish at 8-5.

Job No. 1 for Brohm is to replace record-setting dual-threat QB Malik Cunningham, and that responsibility should go to Cal transfer Jack Plummer. In 2022, his lone season at Cal, Plummer threw for 3,095 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Prior to that, he was with Brohm at Purdue. The Cardinals should have one of the best 1-2 punches in the ACC at tailback in Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner. The wide receiving group is almost entirely new and added several transfers.

Former Purdue defensive coordinator Ron English takes over a Louisville defense that was No. 1 in the nation in sacks and seventh in tackles for loss last year while allowing just 19.2 points per game. The two main pass rushers and three top linebackers are gone, but the secondary should be a major strength between returning starters and transfer additions.

Is Louisville the best team in the ACC? Not hardly, but it very easily could get to the title game in a league now without divisions because neither of the two conference favorites, Clemson or Florida State, are on the school's schedule. The Cardinals have had to play both since joining the league because they were in the same Atlantic Division and obviously can only play one of them in the conference title game. They also miss North Carolina and star QB Drake Maye, a top Heisman contender.

Louisville has three true road games, all in the league: NC State, Pittsburgh and Miami. The ACC opener vs. Georgia Tech is officially a neutral-site game (Yellowjackets are the home team) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. On Sept. 16, Louisville faces Indiana not in Bloomington but in Indianapolis, and there might be more Cardinals fans than Hoosiers backers.

Brohm's club should win that game and its Sept. 7 home non-conference matchup vs. Murray State, but has other tough non-league home challenges on Oct. 7 vs. Notre Dame and on Nov. 25 vs. Kentucky.

The Cardinals' Over/Under regular-season win total is 8, with both at -110. You can also bet their win total head-to-head against Iowa of the Big Ten, with both at -110. Louisville has an O/U of 5.5 ACC wins with the Over a slight favorite. The Cardinals are -7.5 for the opener at Georgia Tech and could be favored in six of their eight total ACC games.

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