Corey Clark

Democrat senior writer

Thank heavens for Louisville.

Because it was a bit of a rough go for a while for the ACC when it came to adding new football programs.

Miami has been in the the league for over a decade and has as many Coastal Division championships as you do. Boston College has the fan support of a small Texas high school program. With a worse offense.

And the only memorable thing Pitt has done on the football field since joining the ACC was become the first team in Jameis Winston’s highlight reel.

But then there’s Louisville. Wonderful, wonderful Louisville.

A program that cares about the sport. A program with a large and energetic fan base. A program that is willing to rehire a coach with a sordid, ugly past because it knows he can win football games. A program that is willing to take kicked-off players from other big-time programs because it knows they can help win football games, too.

Florida State-Louisville: By the numbers

This might read like I’m being sarcastic. I’m not. Louisville is doing exactly what it has to do to try to become a big-time football program itself. That should be applauded. Even if the means aren’t exactly ideal (that Petrino neck-brace picture will be on the internet for the rest of time) they are justified when you’re ranked No. 10 in the country.

Because, in the end, college football is about one thing: Winning. High character and grade-point averages are nice. Sure. But the only thing fans and administrators truly care about is whether you have more points on the scoreboard than the other team. That’s it.

If you go 4-8 with a locker room full of great guys, it will be somebody else’s locker room the next season. That’s how college football works.

Louisville has really seemed to grasp this concept.

Think about this upcoming game on Saturday. Two ACC teams are going to be in a Top 10 matchup. ESPN’s College Gameday will be there. And one of the two teams is not Clemson.

That’s what Louisville has done for this conference. There are currently two divisions in the country that have three Top 10 teams in them. One is in the Big 10. The other is the ACC Atlantic (sorry, SEC West!).

“It adds to your credibility,” FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said of Louisville’s rise. “Our conference is really good, guys. ... It is great, great football in the ACC and I’m glad that people are starting to see it.”

I don’t know if it’s “great” football in this conference, but it’s certainly getting better. Fisher is right. Having another Top 10 team not named FSU or Clemson adds serious credibility to the league. It’s what Miami was supposed to be when it joined, but over the last decade the Hurricanes have essentially turned into just a more humid Boston College.

Louisville has picked up the slack, though. The Cardinals are really good in both basketball and baseball as well, but what they’ve become in football has been by far their most important addition to the conference.

It can’t be overstated how much it helps the perception of the league to have more than two highly ranked teams. As long as Jimbo and Dabo are around, Florida State and Clemson are going to be considered the two kings of the conference.

Florida State safety Derwin James to miss 5 to 7 weeks

But Petrino is lurking. He’s doing what he has to do to win games. And he’s putting a ton of players into the NFL. Two years ago when Florida State set a record with 11 players drafted off the 2014 team, do you realize what program had the second-most?

It was Louisville. With 10. And now here the Cardinals are, two years later, in the Top 10 in the country. With a quarterback who is on his way to becoming a household name around the nation.

I know what you’re asking yourself right now, loyal reader.

“Is this the Louisville Democrat? Why is this bald fool droning on and on and on about the Cardinals? Did he lose a bet?”

Fair questions. Thank you for asking.

Here’s why Louisville matters.

Two years ago Florida State went undefeated in the regular season and won the ACC Championship. The Seminoles were the only unbeaten team in the country. They beat a Top 10 Clemson team without Winston. They won at Miami after getting down 16 points. They won at Louisville (with those 10 draft picks) after getting down by 21 points. They beat a Georgia Tech team that went on to win the Orange Bowl.

And yet despite all of that, the Seminoles were the No. 3 seed in the college football playoff (behind two one-loss teams). It was a ridiculous seeding then and it’s flat-out laughable now in hindsight, but that’s how bad the perception of the ACC was around the nation.

Now Florida State is about to play a marquee conference game. That doesn’t involve Clemson. On national television. With College Gameday on site and millions watching around the country.

It’s being billed as one of the biggest games of the entire college football season.

That, loyal reader, is why Louisville matters.

Updated: A fan's guide to 'College GameDay'

FSU vs Louisville

•When/Where: Saturday, noon, Louisville

•TV/Radio: ABC/103.1 FM

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Derwin James Update

Florida State safety Derwin James will miss five to seven weeks after undergoing meniscus repair surgery on Monday. James injured his knee during the third quarter of Florida State's 52-8 win over Charleston Southern.

Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher did have some good news, at least for James' outlook going forward.

"They sewed it so it will be a little longer," Fisher said following Tuesday’s practice. "You’re talking five, six, seven weeks or so. At least. Depending on how it heals. They sewed it which is really good for him. It means they saved every inch of the cartilage. Which is really good."

James was the teams leading tackler through the first two games, and will be nearly impossible to replace for the Seminoles defense. A.J. Westbrook will have the tough task of doing just that against a lightning quick Louisville offense on Saturday.

If James were to return in five weeks he would be ready in time for the Seminoles' game against Wake Forest. Seven weeks would put him back by the Clemson game.

— Wayne McGahee III