As I am typing this we are a little over 30 days from the start of another Cardinals football season. Just 4 more Saturdays without the pig skin folks. The kick-off this season is going to be one of the best ever. We get to open our season against one of the SEC Powers and pre-season top 10 Auburn Tigers. This game is already being billed as the must see college football game that day and will be carried nationwide on CBS.

This game will not only provide a great atmosphere for fans but will be a great chance to showcase our football program. When the national spotlight is shining that means a lot of eyes are watching. Recruiting in the south has been great for the Cardinals especially in the 2016 class and games like this will only improve our standing.

I think we all know that this game is going to be awesome, but before we get to that Saturday afternoon in the Georgia Dome Cardinal Fans will have the chance to go on what could be the best road trip in the history of Cardinal Football. They always say it’s all about the journey and the journey to the Chick-fil-A Kick-off game will be awesome.

STOP #1 TEDDY TRIBUTE NIGHT IN NASHVILLE

On Thursday September 3rd the Minnesota Vikings will play the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. I don’t have to tell you why this game being on the road to Atlanta is so special, but I will.

Teddy epitomizes the University of Louisville. Both he and the University of Louisville football program had to battle long odds, tough times, and humble beginnings to get where they are today. Now both are poised to take their games to the next level. Nothing would be a more fitting tribute to Teddy than filling Nissan Stadium in Nashville on that Thursday night with Cardinal Red. He might not take a snap but I’ll be there chanting Teddy.. Teddy… Teddy…! He doesn’t have to play for me to say thank you. Here’s the info on how you can be a part of the first leg of The Ultimate Cardinal Road Trip:

-It is a 2 hour and 43 minute drive from Louisville to Nashville

Tickets to this game are very cheap because it is an exhibition: Tickets for this game start out at 9 Bucks.. Folks you can’t beat that
BUY TICKETS:
Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans STUBHUB

During the month of September Hotel rates are about as good as you can get because it’s the end of summer vacation season and they want to lure customers in. Some hotel have marked their prices down over 200.00 a night in Nashville for September 3rd.
BOOK YOUR ROOM:
There are some good rates at Expedia.com: Hotel avg $161, 3 star avg $171, 4 star avg $243

STOP #2 WELCOME THE PUMA TO THE CARDINAL NATION:

In a little over 30 days from now our Cardinals will get the chance to knock of the Auburn Tigers in the opening game of the college football season. A few weeks ago they got a huge win off the field when they beat both Auburn and Alabama for one of the best young quarterback prospects in the country Jawon Pass. Ranked the 186th overall best football player in the country by ESPN, 208th by Scout, and 179th by 247Sports this guy had every major football program in the country on his trail. But it all came down to what most believed was a race between Bama and Louisville.

This is the biggest QB prospect the Cardinals have landed since Teddy Bridgewater, and his impact on the football program like Teddy’s could be very significant. Of course he has a lot of work to do to be worthy of such a comparison but the ability and physical gifts are in place. This kid turned away Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to wear the Cardinal Red. I think that in itself deserves us packing into the football stadium at Creekside High School on Friday September 4th to show this kid what the Cardinal Nation is all about and to welcome him to our family. Here’s the info on how you can be a part of the second leg of The Ultimate Cardinal Road Trip:

-Since most will have hotels near the Georgia Dome I tracked the time it takes to get from there to Creekside High School. It’s about a 30 minute drive from downtown Atlanta, but be advised that traffic is very heavy. The game starts at 7:30pm so that should make it a little better. I intentionally map-quested in around 6pm and it says light traffic.

Here is some more information about the Creekside High School vs. Carver High School game. This will be a great game and feature some very good high school athletes. They had 10 players sign to play college ball including the Berry Twins who signed at Tennessee. Creekside won the 5-A Georgia State Championship last season and they have a big-time football program with some pretty nice facilities. You might remember their football program being in the national news last fall after one of their players suffered a broken neck in a pre-season scrimmage and tragically passed away from that injury.

I reached out to their Athletic Director Troy Mekia and told him to prepare for a Red-Out at his football stadium on September 4th. Still waiting to hear back from him about admission prices, stadium capacity, parking, ect. I will update this info when I get it. My guess is tickets are same as all high school games and their football venue looks pretty big.

Here’s the link for a guy who has all of the ticket stuff worked out for ya and then some:
Go get your Caver vs Creekside Tickets plus more:

Here is a link to the Creekside High School Website:

STOP #3 FOOTBALL SEASON KICK-OFF IN CARDLANTA:

Before we even get to Saturday our football plates will be running over. This is the last leg of The Ultimate Cardinal Road Trip and it stops in the Georgia Dome. We have all been talking about this one since it was announced. Like I mentioned in the opening of this article this game will pay off big time for the Louisville Football program win or lose. The exposure gained on this Saturday afternoon will be immeasurable. I couldn’t think of a better way to start off a football season than in the south where football is king.

The Auburn faithful have already swallowed up their allotment of 31,000 tickets and the latest info I’ve been able to track down is that Louisville had about 3000 tickets left of their 31,000 allotment. Don’t be left out Cardinal fans and don’t miss out on this once and a lifetime chance at a road trip like this. I can’t wait to take my family on this glorious Cardinal Journey. Experiences are the foundation of dreams and I want my son to never forget this one. Here’s some ticket, travel and hotel information so you can be a part of this last leg of The Ultimate Cardinal Road Trip:

-It is about a 4 hour trip from Nashville to Atlanta so you’ll want to check out early on Friday morning so you can get to your hotel.

Tickets to this game aren’t cheap but there are still some reasonable prices over at StubHub. Tickets for this game start out at around 90 Bucks.
BUY TICKETS:
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic – Louisville Cardinals vs. Auburn Tigers Football Tickets

Last I heard there were about 3000 tickets left of Louisville’s allotment. Those Tickets are available by calling (502) 462-2737 or by visiting the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium Ticket Office Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The hotel rates in Atlanta are pretty pricey as they are cashing in on over 70,000 crazy college football fans filling the city that weekend. But there are still some bargains to be had but don’t wait around too long.
BOOK YOUR ROOM:
There are still some good rates at Expedia.com: Hotel avg $187, 3 star avg $164, 4 star avg $276, 5 star avg $498

After reading this maybe I helped encourage some of you in Cardinal Nation in taking The Ultimate Cardinal Road Trip. Maybe this information will help and I really hope to see all of you on this journey with me. I really do think it’s going to be an amazing three nights, and I would love to see it end in a big opening win. I’m so ready…. GO CARDS!