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Sports Illustrated: Louisville sues Duke over cancelled games

The University of Louisville has filed a lawsuit against Duke University claiming breach of contract after the Blue Devils opted out of the final three games of a four-game football series.

The lawsuit, filed in Franklin Circuit Court, is asking for $450,000 in damages, or $150,000 for each of the three games.

The two schools were to meet four times between 2002 and 2009. Louisville beat the Blue Devils 40-3 in Sept. 2002, but Duke opted out of the final three games, to be played this season and in 2008 and 2009.

Duke, according to the suit, asked the Cardinals to find a replacement opponent and promised to pay Louisville only if the school could not find one after a "good faith" effort.

Louisville claims it could not find an opponent of similar stature [What? Is Brown all booked up? - F.G.] to fill the schedule and received "little, if any, help from either Duke or the ACC" in finding a replacement.

Louisville still has one open date on its 2008 schedule and two open dates in 2009.

The university added Murray State and Utah to the 2007 schedule after Duke and Vanderbilt backed out of games with the Cardinals, said spokesman Kenny Klein.

The Cardinals have contacted every member of the Football Bowl Subdivision to find a replacement, according to the lawsuit, but has been unable to find a school willing to play two games at Louisville in exchange for one return game.

A call to Duke University by the Associated Press wasn't immediately returned on Thursday.