Professional football (gridiron) Louis Cardinals moved to Phoenix, Arizona to become the Arizona Cardinals in 1988, while the Houston Oilers very nearly moved to Jacksonville in 1987 before deciding to stay, for the short term, in Houston. In 1993, the NFL began exploring expansion, eyeing five proposals (Baltimore, St. Louis, Memphis, Charlotte and Jacksonville), all of which were in cities that had hosted professional football before. The "Carolina Cougars" (later renamed Carolina Panthers) and Jacksonville Jaguars received franchises to begin play in 1995. At the same time, Al Davis moved the Raiders back to its original home in Oakland for the 1995 season,
2017 Louisville Cardinals football team were invited to the TaxSlayer Bowl where they lost to Mississippi State. The Cardinals had four players selected in the 2018 NFL draft. 2017 Louisville Cardinals football team The 2017 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the sport of American football during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and were led by fourth-year head coach Bobby Petrino, who began his second stint at Louisville in 2014 after eight years away. Home games were played at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky.