Week 1 of college football opens the season for Louisville in Nashville against Ole Miss. The outcome may set the tempo for the rest of the year. An opening win, not just a field goal at the right time kind but one that demonstrates the effectiveness of both the offense and defense, may open the door to much bigger things. It sets up a really important matchup between SMU and the Cardinals in Louisville on September 19.

Both teams are sitting neck and neck behind Miami in the ACC Nation Preseason Composite Rankings. it’s the kind of game that could decide who heads to Charlotte for a spot in the ACC Football Championship. That may be looking ahead a wee bit but there’s not doubt it places the winner in a sweet spot of the Top 25 rankings and that may lead to grabbing a playoff spot.

Dalton Pence with Locked on Louisville podcast joins Will and Jim on ACC Nation to preview the Cardinals. Pence provides great insight into how key elements of the team need to come together. Will gets into the X’s and O’s with Dalton to give you a better look at what to expect when it comes to a new quarterback (fans will like what they hear) and what kind of weapons he’ll have to put points on the board.

What about the defense? Has the coaching staff filled in the blank spots sufficiently to keep Louisville in the game? Again, does Louisville have the juice? It’s a big question and so far they look like they can deliver.

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It’s August and college football is almost here. ACC Nation previews Virginia with special guest Preston Willett of The Sabre and Hoos on Podcast. There’s probably more depth and experience than fans might think as plenty of familiar faces return and there’s an equal number of newbies ready to juice up the Hoos. Former Mizzou QB Beau Pribula takes the reins for the offense and you can expect a dynamic mix of runs and passes. The 6’4″, 225lb Pribula is no slouch coming out of the pocket and making good things happen. He’s joined in the quarterback room by three others including former Pitt QB Eli Holstein who measures out at 6’4″, 234lbs.

A key part of making the offense click will be the offensive line which has plenty of the aforementioned depth and experience. Providing Pribula adequate time to work through his receiving options or opening up slots for an effective run game are looking solid.

The expected trip to South America to open up the season against NC State dropped by the wayside earlier this year but it may have been a good learning experience for the ACC and possibly college football. Willett reflects on some of those lessons learned.

Will and Preston delve into the defense where Kam Robinson is a lynchpin at linebacker. Some familiar names return and transfers bolster the secondary.

Virginia got a taste of what it’s like to be on top again after a long slog. The question is, can Tony Elliott keep the Cavaliers in that top 5 of the ACC year after year with the combination of recruiting and transfers? This season will help answer that question.

Jim and Willett look at some games on the schedule especially the ones that could end up being big challenges and important to how the season plays out in the conference.

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College football kicks off in a month and Lawton Swann of Clemson Sports Talk joins Will and Jim on ACC Nation to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the Tigers.