You could make the case that Louisville is now the class of the Big East, with West Virginia moving on and TCU opting out of joining. Charlie Strong came in and began recruiting Florida prospects to great success. The results began popping up in the second half last year after a dismal 2-4 start.
2012 Program Preview - Louisville
Standout QB Teddy Bridgewater flashed a top skill set while helping the Cardinals go 5-2 in conference play, including away wins over WVU and South Florida. Now a true sophomore, he could elevate the program back to the level it was at under Bobby Petrino.
After the jump, the prospects worth noting as well as some games and matchups to pencil into your calendar.
References
Card Chronicle (SBN Louisville community), SB Nation team page, official team site, Bill Connelly’s preview for SBN, CBS Sports preview
Notable offensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Mario Benavides | C | RS Sr. | 4 |
| Dominique Brown | RB | Jr. | UD |
| John Miller | G | Soph. | N/A |
| Teddy Bridgewater | QB | Soph. | N/A |
| DeVante Parker | WR | Soph. | N/A |
Notable defensive prospects
| Name | POS | Yr. | Early projected Rd (notes) |
| Adrian Bushell | CB | RS Sr. | UD |
| Daniel Brown | OLB | RS Sr. | UD |
| Hakeem Smith | SS | RS Jr. | 4 |
| Preston Brown | ILB | Jr. | 6 |
| Marcus Smith | DE | Jr. | UD |
| Andrew Johnson | CB | Soph. | N/A |
| Calvin Pryor | FS | Soph. | N/A |
Summary
The roster is bottom heavy, to be certain. Benavides is one of the best centers in the country, though. Aside from he and perhaps Hakeem Smith, there aren’t any obvious 2013-eligible prospects that could creep into day two. Louisville is already loaded up with 24 prospects in tow for next year, but recruiting is a fluid process with calendar dates barely written in pencil. It is not the permanent pen-marked calendar of the NFL.
Still, at this time next year, we may be looking at a handful of day 2 options from Louisville’s junior and sophomore classes.
Key games
Kentucky (home) - Week 1 (Sun., Sep. 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
North Carolina (home) - Week 3 (Sat., Sep. 15 - 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)
I lumped these together for given that they’re the two of Louisville’s first three games, all at home and all against non-conference opponents (Missouri State being the third). They follow that trio with three away games versus Florida International, Southern Miss and Pitt all in that order. And while FIU and Southern Miss are stronger members of their conference, Kentucky represents the SEC and is obviously a competitor in recruiting circles. Staying on recruiting, UNC has, like Louisville, dipped into the state of Florida’s talent pool in recent years.
Moreover, this early stretch could well derail Louisville’s chances at a BCS berth in everyone’s least favorite acronym’s penultimate year. If the Cardinals get off to a poor start similar to 2011, it will be very difficult to pull out of it and make a similar Big East run like last year.
Rutgers (home) - Week 14 (Thu., Nov. 29 - 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
If those games make up the meaningful opening of the season, this game most obviously is the coda. Louisville’s final game of the season, the Rutgers game could define their season as a whole. If Big East supremacy looms at this stage, it could still be the case in late November.
Key matchups
C Mario Benavides v. UNC DT Sylvester Williams, Week 3 - Sat., Sep. 15
NFL-caliber matchup. Should be interesting matchup that pits Williams’ power game against Benavides who is a bit more agile.
LBs Preston Brown, Daniel Brown & Deiontrez Mount v. FIU RB Kedrick Rhodes, Week 4 - Sat., Sep. 22
LBs Preston Brown, Daniel Brown & Deiontrez Mount v. Southern Miss RB Kendrick Hardy, Week 5 - Sat., Sep. 29
Two interesting run game matchups in back-to-back weeks here. On one hand, Rhodes put up a very impressive sophomore season for the Golden Panthers (why no, I don't want to talk about the UNT game...); on the other, FIU played a pretty weak schedule last year. In the two most difficult matchups against Louisville and Marshall in the Beef 'O' Brady's Apostrophe Bowl, Rhodes rushed 8 times for 16 yards and 10 times for 20 yards, respectively. If FIU wants to get back to the top of the Sun Belt, he'll need to improve on that.
Hardy, on the other hand, was off to a solid start in 2011. In the Golden Eagles' fifth game, Hardy suffered a broken collar bone after already having rushed for 172 yards; he missed the rest of the season. In his stead, Jamal Woodyard stepped up serviceably. He would suffer a knee injury late in the year, and will miss all of 2012. Hardy now is healthy by all accounts and has lost 11 pounds since the spring. He'll likely have to carry the load for Southern Miss early on, and that includes notable matchups against Nebraska and East Carolina before the Louisville game.
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