# 2017 Louisville Cardinals football team

The 2017 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the sport of American football during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and were led by fourth-year head coach Bobby Petrino, who began his second stint at Louisville in 2014 after eight years away. Home games were played at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The team finished the season with an 8–5 overall record and a 4–4 record against opponents in ACC. The Cardinals were in a three-way tie for third place in the Atlantic Division and were invited to the TaxSlayer Bowl, where they lost 31–27 to Mississippi State.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Purdue* | No. 16 | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN (Ally Classic) | FOX | W 35–28 | 37,394 |
| September 9 | 12:00 p.m. | at North Carolina | No. 17 | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPN | W 47–35 | 47,000 |
| September 16 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 3 Clemson | No. 14 | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY (College GameDay) | ABC | L 21–47 | 55,588 |
| September 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Kent State* | No. 19 | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCRSN | W 42–3 | 47,812 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Murray State* | No. 17 | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCRSN | W 55–10 | 47,826 |
| October 5 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 24 NC State | No. 17 | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ESPN | L 25–39 | 56,107 |
| October 14 | 12:20 p.m | Boston College | | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCN | L 42–45 | 44,679 |
| October 21 | 12:00 p.m. | at Florida State | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ESPN | W 31–28 | 72,764 |
| October 28 | 12:20 p.m. | at Wake Forest | | BB&T FieldWinston-Salem, NC | ACCN | L 32–42 | 29,593 |
| November 11 | 3:30 p.m. | Virginia | | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPNU | W 38–21 | 46,787 |
| November 18 | 3:30 p.m. | Syracuse | | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPNU | W 56–10 | 34,265 |
| November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | at Kentucky* | | Kroger FieldLexington, KY (rivalry) | SECN | W 44–17 | 56,186 |
| December 30 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Mississippi State* | | EverBank FieldJacksonville, FL (TaxSlayer Bowl) | ESPN | L 27–31 | 41,310 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### vs Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Cardinals | 7 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 35 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |

### At North Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 Cardinals | 10 | 10 | 7 | 20 | 47 |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |

### Clemson

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Tigers | 7 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 47 |
| No. 14 Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |

### Kent State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 19 Cardinals | 21 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 42 |

### Murray State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Racers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 17 Cardinals | 14 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 55 |

### At NC State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 Cardinals | 0 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 25 |
| No. 24 Wolfpack | 0 | 17 | 7 | 15 | 39 |

### Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 45 |
| Cardinals | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 42 |

### At Florida State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
| Seminoles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |

### At Wake Forest

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 3 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 32 |
| Demon Deacons | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |

### Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cavaliers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |

### Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 28 | 14 | 7 | 56 |

### At Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 17 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 44 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### vs Mississippi State–Tax Slayer Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 31 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 16 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 17 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — |
| Coaches | 17 | 16 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 17 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## 2018 NFL Draft

The Cardinals had four players selected in the 2018 NFL draft.
| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
| Jaire Alexander | Green Bay Packers | 1st | 18th | CB |
| Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | 1st | 32nd | QB |
| Geron Christian | Washington Redskins | 3rd | 74th | OT |
| Trevon Young | Los Angeles Rams | 6th | 205th | DE |