Whoa there, Bobcat fan, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
An undefeated season? Perhaps.
A berth for Ohio into a Bowl Champion Series game to mirror the success of fellow Mid-American Conference team Northern Illinois from less than a year ago? Ehhhhh.
If those questions are to be taken seriously, do not skip over quite possibly the most intriguing game for Ohio this decade against Louisville on Sunday.
Let’s delve into the Louisville cookbook and see what an almost certifiable on-paper recipe win by the Cardinals contains.
Add one potential Heisman quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater, a hint of potential greatness in running back Michael Dyer, who is getting a second chance after skirmishes at Auburn, and a pinch of pressure to finish the season with an undefeated record.
If followed carefully, Louisville will amount to the crème de la crème in Division I football — a testament perhaps not even the Bobcats can withhold.
Louisville is Ohio’s first non-conference ranked opponent since Ohio’s bout with No. 2 Ohio State in 2010, which resulted in a whooping 43-7 autumn afternoon loss for the Bobcats. A win against the ’Cards would be the first against such an opponent in the Solich era.
Again, the conversation continues, can MAC teams compete with other BCS divisions? Since 2000, Ohio has fared just 1-6 in games against the Big East, which is now the American Athletic Conference. The lone win came in overtime against Pittsburgh in 2005.
No more pedestal-raising for Louisville from here on out.
The Cardinals dropped a three overtime game at the end of last year against Connecticut and narrowly defeated Southern Mississippi in the first half of the season. Although, UCONN finished under .500 with a 5-7 record, while Southern Mississippi finished the season winless.
Louisville’s heavily inflated schedule puts the Cardinals a solid four spots ahead of where they should be.
Although its RPI ranks 13th, the Cardinals have no ranked opponents on the schedule, as Louisville appears to be on cruise control for an automatic bowl game.
According to sports betting lines, the Cardinals are favorites to win each of their games this season, including on Sunday, when they are at least 20-point favorites to win, according to sports gambling agencies.
So here’s a question any Bobcat fan can ask: If the Bobcats can pull out the unlikely victory against a mammoth opponent on Sunday, who really does stand in their way?
ch115710@ohiou.edu
@Connor_Hanlin
