Louisville In The BCS: Where Are The Cards Headed?

Getting a lot of questions about what needs to happen for the Cards to end up in New Orleans or Miami, so let's tackle this bad boy head on.

Louisville's destination will pretty much be known after tonight's MAC championship game (7 p.m./ESPN2).

Under BCS rules, if a champion from a conference without an automatic bid, such as the MAC, ranks in the top 16 of the final BCS standings and is ranked higher than a champion from one of the AQ leagues, such as the Big East, the non-AQ champ is guaranteed a spot in the BCS.

Kent Sate currently sits a No. 17 in the BCS rankings. With a win tonight, it's likely that they would move up at least one spot and claim an automatic bid to the BCS. Northern Illinois also has an outside shot to jump up to No. 16 with a win, but it's far less likely.

If the Golden Flashes earn a BCS spot, it's likely that they would fall to the Orange Bowl, which has the last pick. That would mean Louisville would almost certainly be selected by the Sugar Bowl,

Basically, if Kent State wins tonight, Louisville is likely headed to the Sugar Bowl to play Florida on Jan. 2. If Kent State loses tonight, Louisville is likely headed to the Orange Bowl to face the ACC champion (probably Florida State) on Jan. 1.

I'll take either. I'm just ecstatic that we're able to talk about this.