Bias against Louisville lives on

[TheRealVille]

The final AP poll has been released and Louisville is not ranked. There is no doubt that media has a bias against the Cards.

Louisville is at or near the top in sacks, turnovers forced, and TFL. The defense is one of the best on the season.

Louisville has beaten six teams who have 8 or more wins.

UCF 9
Pittsburgh 9
Wake Forest 8
NC State 8
James Madison 8
Cincinnati 9

Louisville won 6 of their final 8 games including their bowl game.

Louisville had only one upset loss and that was BC, which was early in the season. Had only one blowout loss and that was Syracuse in the first game of the season.

Louisville had FSU beat and lost a close one and was right there in losses to Clemson and UK.

Still, this is not enough for AP voters to rank the Cardinals. I know this ultimately doesn't mean anything but it pisses me off how often this happens to UofL sports. Just look at the women's basketball team. They're still not ranked when every single AP voter knows full well that is a top 25 program with a top 5 coach.

Maybe it's the disaster of the men's basketball program but there is a clear bias in the sports media against UofL. They only vote for Louisville when they think they have to and if there's an opening to unrank them, they jump at it and are not quick to put the Cards back when the Cards win some games.

Who believes that next seasons team will be a top 25 pre season team come September? With Brohm on board with a established QB transfer and many returning players and great recruiting class, Louisville should be at least 15 to 20 in the preseason poll.

But watch, Louisville will be in the middle of the pack of others receiving votes.

 

[Sioux Falls Eric]

The bias is real they only want the pecking order in the ACC to be Clemson first and then FSU then Miami. I was cringing last night watching TCU get destroyed because all that does is feed the haters who didn’t want to expand the CFP.Louisville will be in the CFP in the next three years mark it done right now, I will gladly cash that check in a few years.

 

[Guardman]

The final AP poll has been released and Louisville is not ranked. There is no doubt that media has a bias against the Cards.

Louisville is at or near the top in sacks, turnovers forced, and TFL. The defense is one of the best on the season.

Louisville has beaten six teams who have 8 or more wins.

UCF 9
Pittsburgh 9
Wake Forest 8
NC State 8
James Madison 8
Cincinnati 9

Louisville won 6 of their final 8 games including their bowl game.

Louisville had only one upset loss and that was BC, which was early in the season. Had only one blowout loss and that was Syracuse in the first game of the season.

Louisville had FSU beat and lost a close one and was right there in losses to Clemson and UK.

Still, this is not enough for AP voters to rank the Cardinals. I know this ultimately doesn't mean anything but it pisses me off how often this happens to UofL sports. Just look at the women's basketball team. They're still not ranked when every single AP voter knows full well that is a top 25 program with a top 5 coach.

Maybe it's the disaster of the men's basketball program but there is a clear bias in the sports media against UofL. They only vote for Louisville when they think they have to and if there's an opening to unrank them, they jump at it and are not quick to put the Cards back when the Cards win some games.

Who believes that next seasons team will be a top 25 pre season team come September? With Brohm on board with a established QB transfer and many returning players and great recruiting class, Louisville should be at least 15 to 20 in the preseason poll.

But watch, Louisville will be in the middle of the pack of others receiving votes.

I almost started a thread moments ago on this very same subject.

 

[Guardman]

Louisville finished #23 in Sagarin's ranking. In the ACC only Florida State and Clemson were ranked higher.

And Louisville finishes #35 in AP poll.

 

[Guardman]

Louisville was the only ACC team in the AP top 40 to receive a NEGATIVE BIAS.

Team	AP	Sagarin	AP Bias from Sagarin
Georgia	1	1	0
TCU	2	9	+7
Michigan	3	5	+2
Ohio State	4	3	-1
Alabama	5	2	-3
Tennessee	6	4	-2
Penn State	7	6	-1
Washington	8	13	+5
Tulane	9	25	+16
Utah	10	7	-3
Florida State	11	16	+5
USC	12	18	+6
Clemson	13	14	+1
Kansas State	14	11	-3
Oregon	15	15	0
LSU	16	10	-6
Oregon State	17	12	-5
Notre Dame	18	17	-1
Troy	19	55	+36
Mississippi State	20	19	-1
UCLA	21	28	+7
Pittsburgh	22	32	+10
South Carolina	23	38	+15
Fresno State	24	36	+12
Texas	25	8	-17
Duke	26	44	+18
UTSA	27	63	+36
Air Force	28	46	+18
Boise State	29	52	+23
Minnesota	30	24	-6
Texas Tech	31	22	-9
North Carolina	32	50	+18
NC State	33	47	+14
Iowa	34	21	-13
LOUISVILLE	35	23	-12
Purdue	36	53	+17
Maryland	37	37	0
Marshall	38	70	+32
Cincinnati	39	48	+9
Illinois	40	26	-14

 

[Knucklehank1]

Getting our ass handed to us by a weak UK in the last regular season game thwarted our ability to end the season ranked.

 

[TheRealVille]

I'm looking at the boxscore and we hardly had our asses handed to us. I remember the game well. The only thing that kept us from winning was the QB position.

Domann and a injured Malik were as bad as Cincinnati's QB's were against the Cards a month later. The team had been dealing with this most of the season yet the team still won six times against 8+ win teams.

No way that UK game should keep the Cards from being ranked. The Cards seemingly dominate defense each and every game would have Wisconsin or Iowa in the top 10.

There is no reason for Louisville being ranked at 35 other than a bias. The non human polls have the Cards amongst the top 25.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm frigging fed up with the constant bias and disrespect from the sports media. Hell, I'm about fed up with collegiate sports altogether.

But I'm in too deep and will always follow the Cards. It seems like a century ago when I was a middle school kid watching Darrell Griffith on the TV dunking while the song, "This is it" was playing. The media sure seemed to like the Ville then.

 

[PushupMan]

Yes, it would have been nice to finish the season ranked, but at 8-5, it’s not something I can get upset about. Just happy to win the Fenway bowl, and to see what Coach Brohm can do.

 

[CardX]

The lesson here is bad losses hurt more than good wins help. It also doesn't help the ACC is/was perceived to be down. It is ripe for the picking., CJB.

 

[Sioux Falls Eric]

They only way we are going to make ESPN stop because that is who is behind the constant U of L bashing. We have to start dragging people again. We have to start winning the games no one expects us to win again. Only then will they put some respect on our name again.

 

[beantowncard]

Louisville finished #23 in Sagarin's ranking. In the ACC only Florida State and Clemson were ranked higher.

And Louisville finishes #35 in AP poll.

Who cares? It’s just opinions.

 

[Sioux Falls Eric]

Who cares? It’s just opinions.

It may be just “opinions” but “opinions “ get you into the CFP at the end of the year.

 

[Knucklehank1]

Sorry but it is funny to me that there is some grand conspiracy keeping the Cards out of the top 25. Our bowl game was nearly a month ago. We dug ourselves a hole this season, crawled out of the hole and then jumped back in at UK. The bowl win was nice but with opt outs, coaching changes and a million bowl games, the results get lost in the shuffle for teams 15 thru 40.

We will start next season as a fringe top 25 team. If we start season 3-0 as we should we will be ranked and can maintain relevance.

 

[Morgantown Card]

I'm looking at the boxscore and we hardly had our asses handed to us.

Disagree. Louisville got beat by 2 touchdowns to a shit UK team that struggles to score points and got shut out in its bowl game by 7-6 Iowa to finish 7-6. Also, lost to a shit BC team and a shit Syracuse team. Those things matter. I am glad Satterfield is gone, 7-5 was the ceiling for him.

Things are definitely looking up with a bright future and I expect to be ranked Top 25 before the season starts but this past season was very mediocre.

That all said, I will thank Satterfield for digging the program out of the 2-10 hole, re-establishing a decent culture, building a balanced roster, and not getting in the way of a pretty good recruiting class that is coming in. The table was set for Brohm to have a decent year next year, which Brohm elevated via quick work in the portal.

 

[Morgantown Card]

Sorry but it is funny to me that there is some grand conspiracy keeping the Cards out of the top 25. Our bowl game was nearly a month ago. We dug ourselves a hole this season, crawled out of the hole and then jumped back in at UK. The bowl win was nice but with opt outs, coaching changes and a million bowl games, the results get lost in the shuffle for teams 15 thru 40.

We will start next season as a fringe top 25 team. If we start season 3-0 as we should we will be ranked and can maintain relevance.

 

[Sioux Falls Eric]

Disagree. Louisville got beat by 2 touchdowns to a shit UK team that struggles to score points and got shut out in its bowl game by 7-6 Iowa to finish 7-6. Also, lost to a shit BC team and a shit Syracuse team. Those things matter. I am glad Satterfield is gone, 7-5 was the ceiling for him.

Things are definitely looking up with a bright future and I expect to be ranked Top 25 before the season starts but this past season was very mediocre.

That all said, I will thank Satterfield for digging the program out of the 2-10 hole, re-establishing a decent culture, building a balanced roster, and not getting in the way of a pretty good recruiting class that is coming in. The table was set for Brohm to have a decent year next year, which Brohm elevated via quick work in the portal.

I will agree to disagree. If any other team would have had the 3 rd quarter we had against Wake it would have been on 24 hour rotation on ESPN. I remember staying up that night to see the highlights any highlights and I saw nothing. Not even a mention. Hell they didn’t even give out a helmet sticker to any Cards player. The hate is real.

 

[Morgantown Card]

I will agree to disagree. If any other team would have had the 3 rd quarter we had against Wake it would have been on 24 hour rotation on ESPN. I remember staying up that night to see the highlights any highlights and I saw nothing. Not even a mention. Hell they didn’t even give out a helmet sticker to any Cards player. The hate is real.

I appreciate the respectful response. Honestly man, I think the non-response was due to indifference as opposed to hate. Louisville football hasn't mattered since Lamar moved on and the program lost all its swagger and interest. I think that is changing and changing quickly.

 

[TheRealVille]

Disagree. Louisville got beat by 2 touchdowns to a shit UK team that struggles to score points and got shut out in its bowl game by 7-6 Iowa to finish 7-6. Also, lost to a shit BC team and a shit Syracuse team. Those things matter. I am glad Satterfield is gone, 7-5 was the ceiling for him.

Things are definitely looking up with a bright future and I expect to be ranked Top 25 before the season starts but this past season was very mediocre.

That all said, I will thank Satterfield for digging the program out of the 2-10 hole, re-establishing a decent culture, building a balanced roster, and not getting in the way of a pretty good recruiting class that is coming in. The table was set for Brohm to have a decent year next year, which Brohm elevated via quick work in the portal.

Come on now, you saw the UK game. Our QB'S couldn't do a thing against UK's defense, but the Cards defense was excellent as well.

The final ranking is for the entire season, not the last regular season game. Syracuse was not a shit team. They were 6 and 0 and yes, their lack of depth cost them as the season went on.

The fact is the Cards won 6 out of their last 8 games including their bowl game and those wins were over bowl teams. This would normally get you on the top 25, especially with a dominant defense that the Cards had.

I don't think it's a conspiracy. There's no star chamber. I think it's just an indication of sports media preferring other programs at the expense of Louisville.

 

[TheRealVille]

Who cares? It’s just opinions.

Okay, isn't it opinion that gets a team a playoff invite?

 

[KozmasAgain]

Go checkout the way to early Top 25 football rankings 2023 and that will disappoint you as well. The teams they think will do better than us is a criminal offense. Lucky for us we will be able to do something about that.

 

[Rollem Cards]

They only way we are going to make ESPN stop because that is who is behind the constant U of L bashing. We have to start dragging people again. We have to start winning the games no one expects us to win again. Only then will they put some respect on our name again.

And to think, Howard Schnellenberger and UofL helped build ESPN into a player back in the day.

Now they’re big shots and act like it.

For now

 

[beantowncard]

It may be just “opinions” but “opinions “ get you into the CFP at the end of the year.

That’s what’s wrong with it. It will be a “mythical” national championship until they get the opinions out of it.

 

[TheRealVille]

I just don't understand how there's any Cards fan that doesn't agree that Louisville is being ignored by these voters. How could Louisville not be in these pre season polls? Everything with the program is on the rise.

I agree good press is not the end all but geez, we're being totally dissed.

 

[Knucklehank1]

I just don't understand how there's any Cards fan that doesn't agree that Louisville is being ignored by these voters. How could Louisville not be in these pre season polls? Everything with the program is on the rise.

I agree good press is not the end all but geez, we're being totally dissed.

Brett McMurphy, who I consider the most wise of college football talking heads, has Louisville at #20.

 

[KozmasAgain]

I like McMurphy he actually reports based on facts.

 

[Sioux Falls Eric]

Did any of you Guys see ESPN’s way too early rankings? The have FSU ranked #5.

 

[TheRealVille]

Did any of you Guys see ESPN’s way too early rankings? The have FSU ranked #5.

There ya go.

 

[Louis III]

Disagree. Louisville got beat by 2 touchdowns to a shit UK team that struggles to score points and got shut out in its bowl game by 7-6 Iowa to finish 7-6. Also, lost to a shit BC team and a shit Syracuse team. Those things matter. I am glad Satterfield is gone, 7-5 was the ceiling for him.

Things are definitely looking up with a bright future and I expect to be ranked Top 25 before the season starts but this past season was very mediocre.

That all said, I will thank Satterfield for digging the program out of the 2-10 hole, re-establishing a decent culture, building a balanced roster, and not getting in the way of a pretty good recruiting class that is coming in. The table was set for Brohm to have a decent year next year, which Brohm elevated via quick work in the portal.

I dont know if I 100% agree with all that. Agree with BC. Syracuse started their slide after losing their 2 best players on D and 2 Offensive starters in a 2 week span. UK game......we handed them 10 points off ignorant turnovers and lost by 13. The ineptness of the offense kept our D on the field way too much. They were, at most 3-7 points better.

 

[glassmanJ]

pretty much every poll has us in the same position, around 40th getting 3 or so votes.

 

[2330859]

I do not disagree with the OP, but I must confess that our perceived upset loss to Syracuse early on, and the loss to FSU at a time most had no appreciation as to just how good the Noles were …….adding the loss to BC a pretty much placed us so low that despite those big wins against UCF, NCST, and WF, the regular season ending loss to an un-rated UK explains everything to me. Our beating UC was discounted, and UK being shutout by Iowa, probably contributed to our ranking.

 

[TheRealVille]

This isn't the case with other teams and their upset losses? They're still ranked. Look at Pitt for example.

These voters are placing votes after each week. It's obvious that Louisville turned their season around and had more impressive wins than bad losses. The early season losses should not be what keeps a voter in January from ranking Louisville. The Cards are obviously not the same team that they were in September.

Troy, Fresno State and UTSA are ranked and Louisville is not. It's absurd and it's a bias, plain and simple.

 

[Knucklehank1]

In the coaches poll the only coach to vote for the Cards in top 25 was Satterfield. The conspiracy web is more wide spread than originally imagined.

 

[2330859]

As I said before, I do not disagree with your belief there is some bias against UL, but when you see both coaches and media alike in agreement, it is hard to believe everyone of those voting have that same bias towards UL.

I never saw where UK was rated, but I suspect we ended up rated above them?

 

[TheRealVille]

The sports media mirrors the news media when it comes to falling in line with the majority opinion. It's mostly laziness but at the same time in my opinion, a bias against Louisville makes it easy for them to go along.

So it's not a conspiracy of media telling each other to diss Louisville, but an inherited or personal bias against a program they don't see as worthy of their interest.

It is true that Louisville winning can get their attention, but unlike a host of other programs, they don't give Louisville the benefit of the doubt, and quickly will discard the Cards when they can.

It's very apparent when comparing human polls with computer polls. Louisville football is ranked when there's no human bias involved.

 

[CardsFirst]

Time to look forward and forget about the past few years. I suspect will be back in the top 20 soon.

 

[Rollem Cards]

Wishin and hopin going on year 6.

I’m sure it will be over one day.

 

[glassmanJ]

our losses were embarrassing ugly, voters don't forget that. simply, if we'd beat uk, we would be ranked but we failed miserably so no crying over spilt bud on the carpet

 

[TheRealVille]

our losses were embarrassing ugly, voters don't forget that. simply, if we'd beat uk, we would be ranked but we failed miserably so no crying over spilt bud on the carpet

I'm sorry but I just don't understand this point of view. Beating UK would have been the difference? Why? It's my opinion it would have made a small difference. Maybe the Cards would have received a few more votes, but enough to knock Troy or Fresno out of the rankings? Don't believe so.

And again the early loss to BC is the ONLY embarrassing loss and that was on the road by one point. Louisville also lost on the road by 1 point to FSU, who the voters love. Cards easily could have won both games.

There is simply no logic except for a bias for Louisville to be at #35. There are other teams in the top 25 that have a bad loss, but haven't beaten six teams with 8+ wins like Louisville.

I say again, this bias is not conspiratorial but more of an apathetic feeling about Louisville football. Many voters again in my opinion, feel Louisville has to do much more than other programs to receive their vote.

 

[ReincarnatedJungleTiger]

Reason Cards aren’t ranked? Because voters (who don’t watch UL to realize that Malik had some weaknesses) see Malik’s big numbers leaving & see Plummer’s average (by statistical comparison) numbers and a true freshman QB as the only replacements and believe that Louisville will struggle.

It’s not so much “bias” as it is unfamiliarity.

 

[TheRealVille]

Reason Cards aren’t ranked? Because voters (who don’t watch UL to realize that Malik had some weaknesses) see Malik’s big numbers leaving & see Plummer’s average (by statistical comparison) numbers and a true freshman QB as the only replacements and believe that Louisville will struggle.

It’s not so much “bias” as it is unfamiliarity.

The bias is why they don't watch or concern themselves with Louisville. I'm not saying the bias is emotional or even personal, it's just a lack of respect.

Although in the ACC, UofL is still looked at by many as a non power conference program, only invited to the ACC for money. Lamar Jackson was an outlier and Louisville football is not a elite program who's given the benefit of the doubt.

It's still too soon to pick a pre season poll but there's no legitimate reason why the Cards were not ranked in the final polls of this past season.