The Clemson Tigers head to L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Friday night looking to stack a second straight win and keep their postseason hopes alive. At 4-5 overall and 3-4 in ACC play, Clemson needs a late-season push to extend its bowl streak to 21 consecutive years. After this matchup with Louisville, the Tigers will wrap up the regular season with Furman and their rivalry game against South Carolina, making this Week 12 showdown a pivotal moment in their season.
Clemson enters the game with momentum after a 24-10 win over Florida State. Cade Klubnik turned in one of his most efficient outings of the year, completing 20 of 27 passes for 221 yards while adding a short rushing touchdown to open the scoring. He later connected with Antonio Williams on a 34-yard strike that gave the Tigers early control. Nolan Hauser added a 40-yard field goal before halftime and finished a perfect 3-for-3 on the day, helping Clemson build the cushion it needed.
Louisville, meanwhile, sits at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the ACC but is coming off a tough 29-26 overtime loss to California. The setback dealt a blow to the Cardinals ACC title game ambitions, though they remain ranked No. 21 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Clemson leads the all-time series 8-1, but Louisville took last years meeting with a 33-21 upset in Clemson.
Fridays game airs nationally on ESPN, with streaming available on ESPN+ and FUBO.
Here are our staff score predictions for Clemson vs. Louisville.
Clemson dominated in their win over Florida State last week, something I dont think was really possible. Huge difference between that game and this one is that 1) Louisville is a better team than FSU and 2) Clemson is on the road. Its a more difficult matchup, but this doesnt feel like one the Tigers will let slip.
Clemson needs to win two of their next three and an upset win over Louisville after a miserable season to inch closer to a bowl game sounds very Dabo Swinney to me. This is purely a hunch pick, give me Clemson in an unpredictable ACC.
Under Jeff Brohm, Louisville always seems to beat one team it shouldn’t beat every year, and lose to a team it shouldn’t lose to. That’s what happened in the Cardinals’ upset win over Miami and in their loss last week to California. A weak secondary and a healthy Cade Klubnik is a scary sight for this Louisville defense. On the other hand, the Cardinals’ offense takes advantage of defenses that don’t capitalize, and all too often Clemson’s defense doesn’t capitalize. Clemson looked like Clemson in last week’s win over Florida State, and if Klubnik gets hot, this could turn into a shootout
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Start score predictions for Clemson football vs. Louisville Cardinals