When the mayor tweets about College GameDay coming to your city, then your looming game is a pretty big deal.

In this case, the Atlantic Division showdown between No. 2 Florida State and No. 10 Louisville on noon Saturday could be one of the biggest deals the Cardinals program has ever seen. Oh sure, the Cards have hosted big games before: in 2014, they had both Miami and No. 2 Florida State come to town -- and both games featured packed, roaring crowds in the program's ACC debut season.

Back in 2006, the No. 5 Cards hosted No. 3 West Virginia -- the last time two Top 10 teams met in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium -- in a crucial Big East showdown. Back in 2002, Louisville upset No. 4 Florida State in one of the greatest games played at the stadium.

So it is not as if Louisville is a stranger to big games, Top 10 rankings or national publicity. But this is the first time the Cards are taking their turn on the College GameDay stage, with a national audience tuning in to see whether this program can take down the Seminoles and potentially make a run at a College Football Playoff spot.

Ready to welcome the @CollegeGameDay team next week for @UofLFootball vs @floridastate — Mayor Greg Fischer (@louisvillemayor) September 10, 2016

Quarterback Lamar Jackson has helped propel much of the excitement, fanfare and curiosity with his 13 touchdowns in two games. Suddenly, Louisville has gone from a relative unknown to must-see appointment TV just to catch what Jackson might do next.

His presence in two games to open the season helped lift this program to this moment.

Plus, let's be real. Life in the Big East was all well and good, but it does not necessarily compare to life in a Power 5 conference, with a higher profile, higher payday and so much more to prove in a division stacked with the two best teams in the league.

Not to mention real, actual playoff implications. Had Louisville remained in the Big East-turned-American, it would be jockeying with Houston and Boise State for position as a potential Group of 5 contender that may or may not be allowed to crash the playoff party.

There is legitimacy in the ACC, and there are no battles that have to be waged to prove that this is a program that belongs (see: 2012/2013 under Charlie Strong and Teddy Bridgewater, when nobody took Louisville all that seriously -- until it upset Florida in the Sugar Bowl).

We will find out soon enough whether Louisville is at a point in its program's development to contend with Florida State and Clemson as the top dogs in the ACC. But where it is now is pretty remarkable, considering how far the program has come in less than two decades.

This is a program in just its third year in the ACC, and only 12 years removed from being in Conference USA. When athletic director Tom Jurich was hired in 1997, he hired a program in shambles. Today, it is among the most profitable in the country, with one of the biggest budgets in the ACC.

It also is the third-best team in the conference, handling the transition to a power conference about as well as any program has navigated the move. Certainly better than West Virginia, which won a battle against Louisville for the final spot in the Big 12 back in 2012 when the Big East was disintegrating.

Since joining the Big 12 in 2013, West Virginia has posted a .525 winning percentage, with only one winning season in conference play. Since joining the ACC in 2014, Louisville has posted a .679 winning percentage, and a winning record in league play both seasons.

Louisville clearly made the right move, now in a much more stable conference. Big 12? Not so much. Today, the ACC has multiple playoff contenders. The Big 12 might not have any.

So the attention this week turns toward the Cards, chosen to host College GameDay over Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Stanford and Notre Dame -- schools with more pedigree and rather large games in their home stadiums on Saturday, too.

Pretty big deal indeed.