LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Atlantic Coast Conference needs assistance from the University of Louisville football team Tuesday afternoon in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl.

Syracuse won its bowl game against Washington State.

Other than that? Don’t ask.

The ACC sits at 1-9 — with losses to teams from the Mid-American (Toledo), American Athletic (East Carolina) and Mountain West (UNLV) conferences. Clemson and SMU were taken out of the College Football Playoff in their opening games.

The ACC has three final cracks to chase respectability, starting with Louisville’s matchup with Washington at 2 p.m. (EST) Tuesday.

Sure, bowl games are weird these days. Opt outs have peeled top players off rosters. Motivation level is difficult to judge for players who are asked to burn holiday time in sunny spots like Birmingham, Boston and Annapolis.

But the scoreboard always gets plugged in.

The Time: Tuesday, 2 p.m., Sun Bowl Stadium (61,000), El Paso, Texas.

How to Watch/Listen: TV — CBS, Ch. 32, WLKY (Brad Nessler, play by play; Gary Danielson, analyst; Jenny Dell, sidelines); RADIO — Louisville Sports Properties, 93.9 FM, 105.7 FM, 970 AM (Paul Rogers, play by play; Jody Demling, analyst; no sideline reporter).

The Line: Point spread Louisville favored by 2.5 points; Over/under total points scored is 49.5.

The Last Time: The Cardinals and Huskies have never met, at least not in football.

The Series: See above. The Cards did play in the 1958 Sun Bowl, defeating Drake, 34-20. This will be the Huskies’ fifth Sun Bowl appearance.

The Records: The Cards finished 8-4, with decisive victories in their final two games over Pittsburgh and Kentucky. Washington went 6-6, scoring their most impressive victories over Michigan, USC and UCLA.

Player to Watch for Louisville: Quarterback Harrison Bailey gets his first start as the replacement for Tyler Shough who opted out of the game before he begins preparation for the NFL Draft. Bailey played in four games in 2024, completing all eight passing attempts for 63 yards without a touchdown. USC transfer Miller Moss figures to be U of L’s quarterback next season but Bailey has always flashed an impressive passing arm.

Player to Watch for Washington: The quarterback decision by coach Jedd Fisch will be interesting. The Associated Press reported that freshman Demond Williams is expected to start but the Washington two-deep chart attached to the Huskies’ game notes lists veteran Will Rogers as the starter. Rogers threw for over 2,400 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven picks, while Williams went 17 for 20 for 201 yards when he started against Oregon in the Huskies’ final regular season game.

Sideline Storylines:

• In addition to Shough, the Cards will also be without two defensive starters — end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley — as well as receiver Ja’Corey Brooks.
• The Huskies will be without freshman linebacker Khmori House, who transferred to North Carolina to play for Bill Belichick.
• The Huskies played Michigan in the national championship game last season but lost coach Kalen DeBoer and most of his staff to Alabama. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. also departed for the NFL
• Washington hired Fisch from Arizona, where he went 16-21 in three seasons. His coaching staff is packed with guys with NFL connections. Washington averaged 131 yards rushing and 252 passing while the Cards averaged 183 rushing and 272 passing.
• The Cards’ defense will look to build on its strong performance the last two games when it limited Pitt to 265 yards and UK to 328.
• According to the U of L depth chart, Tramel Logan will start in Gillotte’s spot while Tahveon Nicholson will fill in at cornerback for Riley.
• Notre Dame defeated Oregon State in front of 48,223 fans in the Sun Bowl last season. It’s 1,470 miles from Louisville to El Paso and 1,701 from Seattle.

The Quote: Cards’ coach Jeff Brohm talking about the opportunities presented to players filling in for teammates who have opted out of the game:

“It’s important that they do play well if they want to get a position for next year. They need to prove themselves in this football game, and we have to make decisions after that, according to how the game goes.”

The Pick: U of L 27, Washington 20.

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