How to watch Louisville vs. Virginia: Preview, TV schedule, live online streaming and more

Are early signs from Virginia predictive of some sort of meaningful success this season? We’ll find out a lot more about the Cavaliers Saturday when they host No. 21 Louisville.

Louisville has had a strong start to its inaugural ACC season, beating Miami 31-13 in the conference opener and following that up with a 66-21 beatdown of FCS Murray State. Bobby Petrino’s second era with the Cardinals has brought back the offensive prowess that made him such a hot coaching commodity in the first place, with early success both on the ground and in the air. Will Gardner has not quite replaced Teddy Bridgewater’s production at quarterback for Louisville, but he’s been interception-free so far and has thrown four touchdowns.

Virginia’s first two results have been expected -- a loss to a ranked UCLA team followed by a win over FCS Richmond -- but the manner in which they happened has to be a pleasant surprise for fans. The Cavaliers very nearly upset the Bruins, with three first-half UCLA defensive touchdowns making the difference in a spirited Virginia comeback. The Cavaliers’ defense has given up just two offensive touchdowns this year -- one to each opponent -- and it looks like their group of blue-chip talent has finally combined to form an effective unit. The offense is less clear, with a brewing quarterback controversy in Charlottesville. Greyson Lambert has started both games, but Matt Johns has played better thus far.

TV: ACC Network, 12:30 p.m. ET. Here’s a list of national TV affiliates for the game.

Radio: Here’s a list of radio affiliates for Louisville. Here’s one for Virginia.

Online streaming: ESPN3

Rankings and records: Louisville is ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll. Virginia is not ranked in either poll. The Cardinals are 2-0 with a 1-0 record in ACC play, putting them on top of the Atlantic Division. Virginia is 1-1 this season, and this game is its conference opener. The all-time series between these two teams is split 1-1.

Vegas: Louisville opened as a 10-point favorite. The line has since dropped to 6.5.

Weather forecast: 70 degrees with a chance of rain.

L.J. Scott, RB, Louisville. A three-star fullback prospect out of Ohio, the true freshman has excelled in Bobby Petrino’s offense through two games. Scott has just 14 carries, but he’s made the most of them, with 128 yards and a touchdown. At 6’0 and 231 pounds, he’s a bruising presence in the backfield, but Virginia has some weapons in the front seven to counter that.

Henry Coley, MLB, Virginia. The senior has had an absolutely torrid start to the season, recording 22 tackles with four for a loss through two games. At 6’2 and 245 pounds, he has the size to deal with the bigger running backs like Scott, and has already forced two fumbles on the season.

Quin Blanding, S, Virginia. One of a pair of five-star signees for Virginia in the 2014 class, Blanding has had an early impact on the Cavaliers’ secondary. He has 16 tackles in two games, with one interception and two passes broken up. With star wide receiver DeVante Parker out for Louisville, the Cardinals could struggle to move the ball through the air against Blanding and the other Virginia defensive backs.

Louisville announced its presence as an ACC contender with its second straight beatdown of Miami, but you know what ACC contenders also do? Blow out Virginia.

There are signs that this Virginia team could be different from Mike London’s previous losing efforts. If the Cavaliers can fix their offensive issues, this is a defense strong enough to win some conference games. Starting things off by showing that the near-upset of UCLA was no accident would go a long way toward cooling London’s hot seat.

For full coverage on Louisville, head over to Card Chronicle. For more on Virginia, check out Streaking the Lawn.