They were, what, #25? Barely ranked, and they lost to Boston College. Their ranked wins came against teams that were struggling at the time - Wake Forest and NC State, who lost its QB earlier this year and was never the same. They also just lost to Kentucky, who had lost 2 in a row, one of them being to Vandy. He is in his 4th year are Louisville, and has regressed each year pretty much.
Ironically, Louisville faces Cincy in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.