Rece Davis joins SVP to react to the latest College Football Playoff rankings and if Louisville should be considered among the best four teams. (4:26)

Earlier in the week, Houston receiver Chance Allen said this about the matchup Thursday night against Louisville: "This is our Super Bowl."

In college football terms, Louisville players have something even bigger on the line. A win over the Cougars keeps their slim College Football Playoff hopes alive. A loss, and their slim hopes turn into nonexistent ones.

"Our coaches say our biggest game is always the next game," Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander said. "With Houston having a fast-paced offense and a dual-threat quarterback, it's going to be a challenge, especially going into their environment. We have to play our football, stick to the game plan, play fast, smart, physical and let the chips fall where they may."

Louisville knows exactly where it sits with the committee. The Cardinals players shared their thoughts via Twitter on Tuesday night after they moved up one spot to No. 5 -- still on the outside looking in.

Haters boi I tell ya — Double nickel (@D1prospect6) November 16, 2016

Perhaps the rankings serve as an extra bit of motivation. Perhaps losing to Houston last season serves as an extra bit of motivation, too. The two teams met last year in Week 2, when Lamar Jackson played in his second career game for the Cardinals.

Louisville had a difficult time slowing down Greg Ward Jr., who had 334 total yards and three touchdowns in the 34-31 victory. Jackson split time with Kyle Bolin and had two total touchdowns and only 16 yards rushing.

"They're very attack-oriented on defense, and they're running similar schemes than they did last year," coach Bobby Petrino said. "So you kind of look at how they wanted to attack our formations and what they wanted to do. Scheme-wise there is a lot you can look at and think they'll try to use again this year."

Before the season began, many thought this game could be meaningful for Houston's playoff hopes as a dark horse contender from the Group of 5. A 33-23 victory over then-No. 3 Oklahoma to open the season only bolstered the expectations surrounding the Cougars.

But they lost to Navy and SMU and are not even ranked in the committee's Top 25, while Louisville is the team that has emerged with playoff hopes of its own. Though a win in this game won’t give the Cards the Top 25 victory they desperately need on their resume, this game would at least bolster their weak nonconference schedule to date (Charlotte, Marshall).

That is important considering how seriously the committee has weighed strength of schedule. Let there be no doubt: the Cards absolutely must make a big impression with the national spotlight completely on them. They can't struggle through three quarters the way they did against Wake Forest, Virginia and Duke.

With only Kentucky left after this game, Thursday might be their final chance to make a lasting impression on the committee. A double-digit win here would be considered a good win, especially since resurgent Oklahoma is rising in the rankings. A close struggle? That might not help.

Of course, reality says any win here might not matter if Louisville doesn't get help from other teams. If Clemson goes on to win the ACC championship, an at-large bid won't happen if more teams don't lose. That's why it's important for Michigan to win out and eliminate Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State from the conversation.

That's why it's important for Washington State to win the Pac-12 North. These are scenarios that would benefit Louisville greatly.

But first, the Cards have to win against a team that is eager to make an impression of its own. Let's not forget, Houston is a team that beat Oklahoma, and Florida State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl last season, and the same quarterback in Ward and same coach in Tom Herman.

Ward might be banged up, but he's vowed to play. Because, as his teammate said, this is the biggest game left in Houston's season. Louisville says it will be prepared.

"We feel every team plays us as if it was their Super Bowl, so it's nothing," Alexander said. "We've just got to go out there and execute."