College football’s top 5 matchups of Week 9

3. No. 20 Duke vs. No. 18 Louisville – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Somewhat surprisingly, Duke and Louisville have only played each other three times, two of which have come since 2016 as ACC opponents. Louisville has won all three matchups, including a 62-22 blowout over the Blue Devils in 2021. However, this year’s contest holds more intrigue than any of the past matchups between the programs as both teams rank inside the top-20 and are vying for a spot in the ACC Championship game.

Duke currently sits at 5-2, with its two losses coming in its last three games. However, both of those defeats came against highly-ranked opponents in Notre Dame and Florida State, games in which the Blue Devils had chances to win. The bad news for Duke is that they could be without starting quarterback Riley Leonard in this one after he re-aggravated his ankle injury in last week’s game against the Seminoles. Leonard’s dual-threat abilities have been part of a solid rushing attack alongside Jordan Waters and Jaquez Moore, while the Blue Devils’ defense has also helped carry them outside of their two losses.

Like Duke, Louisville is also looking to avenge a 38-21 defeat to Pitt two weeks ago which was the first time they were beaten all season after a surprising 6-0 start that included a big win over Notre Dame. While Louisville’s defense has been vulnerable, the offense has been strong, and ranks as a top-20 unit in the country. That’s thanks to quarterback Jack Plummer who has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards this season, as well as Jawhar Jordan who has been one of the best running backs in the nation. Jordan is questionable for Saturday as he deals with a hamstring injury, but if he plays, the Cardinals will have a good shot at earning their sixth home win of the season.