Tuesday evening Cardinal news and notes

—Spread check (bowl game): Air Force by 1.5.

—In case you somehow missed it, Wednesday’s Battle of the Bluegrass is now Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky.

—ACCSports.com has Louisville tied with Clemson for fifth in their latest hoops power rankings.

—Syracuse, Louisville, Florida State and now Boston College are all on Covid pauses. The Eagles had to cancel their game against Wake Forest which, per league policy, is now a forfeit.

We’ve already seen this with multiple teams in the Big East (DePaul is officially 0-2 without taking a dribble) and now it’s starting in the ACC.

Conferences are going to have to revisit this rule because with protocols the way they are and Omicron sweeping across the country, you’re going to have like 20 percent of your league schedule as forfeitures if you don’t. I’d expect a reversal before the calendar flips to 2022.

—Former USC QB Kedon Slovis is transferring to Pitt. The Cards host the Panthers next season.

—I would be very encouraged by this quote if I had any faith in the NCAA’s (or an extension of the NCAA’s) ability to maintain something remotely resembling consistency.

Even so, it’s certainly a glimmer of hope. As is the fact that the first ruling dolled out by the IARP was a lenient one.

The full quote from Welch is this:

“We specifically discussed whether or not we were going to impose a postseason ban, and we basically determined that we didn’t want to hurt or punish the student-athletes that are currently competing,” said Dana Welch, an arbitrator who served on the IRP. “We did, however, want the institution to take this very seriously, there were very serious recruiting violations here.”

Let’s keep that same energy of punishing the paid employees involved in these violations and not the current players/coaches who had nothing to do with them.

—Joe Giglio writes that the IARP’s ruling is a win-win for NC State.

—There are fully grown adults who will buy and wear this shirt.

—Zack Wheat’s last home run in Brooklyn, in 1926, took him 5 minutes to complete his trip around the bases. It’s a great story.

—Here’s the U of L recap of the women’s basketball team’s Sunday win over UConn.

—You can check out highlights of the win here.

—It appears the Jae’Lyn Withers at the 5 era has come to a close.

—Lights Under Louisville has been named one of the 10 Best Public Holiday Lights Displays in the nation by USA Today.

—The latest Hoop Vision newsletter is all about the floater.

—Louisville has the fourth-best transfer class in college football according to 247 Sports.

4. LOUISVILLE (4 COMMITS)

Louisville needed immediate help at certain positions, one of them being running back. The Cardinals landed a huge transfer commitment from former Tennessee ball carrier Tiyon Evans. He had 525 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 81 carries and four catches for 74 yards and a score for the Vols despite being limited most of the year with an ankle injury. Evans is ranked as a 90, making him a four-star tailback.

Louisville should have an extremely potent rushing attack with Evans and Malik Cunningham at quarterback. Ole Miss linebacker transfer Mohamed Sanogo is another noteworthy pickup for Louisville. In five years and 47 games with Ole Miss, Sanogo tallied 210 total tackles (97 solo), 12.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four pass deflections and two forced fumbles. He’s got an 88 overall grade in the portal. Safety M.J. Griffin comes to Louisville from Temple and should provide immediate help at the position. Griffin is a hard-hitting safety with great run support and carries a grade of 86 in the portal rankings.

—U of L softball will host its Batter Up! Brunch on Jan. 30.

—Rick Bozich goes scorched earth on Chris Mack.

—The Cards may have gotten worked by Western, but at least they had the play of the week in the ACC.

—Teddy Bridgewater is out of the hospital, but still in concussion protocol and “highly unlikely” to play for the Broncos this week.

—Michigan State transfer WR Ricky White III has received a U of L offer.

—Good video here on Louisville’s newest linebacker.

—Cardinal Authority has a Q&A with U of L QB signee Khalib Johnson.

—Louisville Report looks at how former Cards in the NFL fared this past weekend.

—Kianna Smith continues to grow into a starring role for Jeff Walz.

—And finally, College Football News likes Louisville over Air Force by a field goal in the First Responder Bowl.