No. 11 Clemson maintained its perfect record this season with an emphatic victory over Appalachian State on Saturday. The Tigers will look to extend their winning streak even further when they take on the struggling Louisville Cardinals in a marquee ACC clash this coming Thursday.
Who will grab the edge in this blockbuster showdown? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this college football matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Ole Miss vs. Alabama and Florida State vs. Boston College.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Clemson Tigers vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview
Where: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
When: Thursday, September 17, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Clemson Tigers (-6.5) at Louisville Cardinals (+6.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers will head to their ACC showdown with Louisville with momentum on their side after trouncing the Appalachian State Mountaineers, 41-10, on Saturday night. It was another impressive victory for the Tigers, who improved their season-record to 2-0. The Tigers have won their first two games by an average of 35 points.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Key to Clemson’s hot start has been their superb offense. The Tigers are averaging 45 points per game this season, 20th in the entire FBS. Just like in their opening game against Arkansas State, it was Deshaun Watson who grabbed the headlines for the Tigers against the Mountaineers. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Charone Peake was Watson’s favorite target in this one-sided contest, catching four passes for 86 yards, including two touchdowns on the night.
The Tigers were able to achieve this feat without the services of all-ACC receiver Mike Williams, who’s out because of a neck injury he suffered in the season-opener against Wofford. It’s important for the Tigers that their other receivers step up in Williams’ absence for them to preserve their unbeaten record against Louisville. The Tigers had a total of 252 passing yards in the win against the Mountaineers, with eight different Clemson players recording at least one catch.
The Tigers are 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals stumbled to their second consecutive defeat with a 34-31 loss to the Houston Cougars on Saturday. The Cards had no answer for Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr., who threw two of his three touchdown passes in the pivotal fourth quarter that gave the Cougars the comeback victory.
It was a gut-wrenching defeat for the Cardinals, who were installed as 13.5-point favorites against the Cougars prior to the game. With the loss, Louisville is now 0-2 for the first time in 17 years. It won’t get any easier for the Cardinals this coming Thursday, as standing in their way in their next game are the streaking Clemson Tigers. For the Cards to record their first win this season against the Tigers, they need to do a much better job on the defensive end. They surrendered a whopping 452 total yards in that heart-breaking loss to Houston.
To make matters worse for them, the Cardinals committed four costly turnovers in that defeat against the Cougars. That resulted in Houston running 92 plays against an exhausted Louisville defense. That kind of defensive mediocrity simply won’t do against a Clemson side that is wreaking havoc on the offensive end at the start of this season. The Tigers piled up 925 yards combined in their opening two victories against Wofford and Appalachian State.
With the Cards’ defense in disarray, the onus is on quarterback Lamar Jackson to deliver on the offensive end for Louisville. He completed just 17 of 27 passes for 168 yards in that loss to Houston with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Cardinals are 8-2 SU and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Clemson (-6.5) wins, 31-17.
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