Can the Cardinals Break Their Losing Streak and Shock Clemson This Weekend?

Friday Night Football on college turf—who would’ve thunk it? Usually, it’s Friday nights filled with high school drama and last-minute passes under floodlights, but tonight, we’re flipping the script. Clemson and Louisville are throwing down at 7:30 ET, and with Clemson limping through a season that started with a promise so high it practically screamed playoffs, while Louisville quietly climbs the ranks with surprising grit, this game might just be the unexpected gem of your weekend. Can the Tigers shake off their “what happened?” season and remind us why they were once top dogs? Or will the Cardinals, with their balanced offense and stingy defense, prove that low expectations can lead to high drama? Either way, buckle up—this one’s got that Friday night intrigue we didn’t see coming. LEARN MORE.

Clemson vs. Louisville, 7:30 ET

Friday Night Football is usually reserved for television dramas and the high school ranks, but every now and then, there are some good games that we get to check out. There are a lot of times I wonder how much attention high school matchups would get if they broadcast some of the best games. I suppose we saw a few games of Arch Manning in high school, and some other games. Nonetheless, tonight college football takes center stage as Clemson takes on Louisville.

Clemson has once again had a disappointing season. I’m not sure what people were thinking with the expectations for the team this season, but a 4-5 record couldn’t possibly have been what the team or coaches wanted. Remember, this team entered the season as the 4th ranked team in the nation. That is College Football Playoffs guaranteed, and National Championship aspiration-level ranking. It was a disaster from the start. They started the season hosting LSU and dropped that one 17-10. Then, after beating Troy, they dropped two straight to Georgia Tech and Syracuse. They beat North Carolina, and then Boston College, neither an overly impressive program. They followed that with two losses to SMU and Duke, also not impressive teams. Last week, they beat Florida State, a team that is also having a down year. I suppose a lot of the blame should be placed on the defense. Quarterback Cade Klubnik has thrown for 2,136 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The running game has been reliable, but not great. For whatever reason, the team just can’t seem to stop anyone defensively.

Louisville is a bit different than Clemson because their expectations were rather low, and they’ve climbed up the ranks this season. They entered the year with a cupcake schedule, taking down Eastern Kentucky, James Madison, and Bowling Green in games decided by at least two scores. Their first real test was visiting Pittsburgh, and they won that game by seven. Then came the ranked opponents. They hosted Virginia and got handed a tough 30-27 overtime loss. After a bye week, they went to Miami and had their best game of the season, while Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck had his absolute worst. The Cardinals were able to force Beck into four interceptions, and they held the Miami run game to just 63 rushing yards. Since then, they beat Boston College and Virginia Tech, but last week they dropped another game to California. This one again was won by just a field goal and in overtime. Quarterback Miller Moss has done a solid job of racking up yards, but the offense doesn’t get a ton of touchdowns through the air. The team has just 12 and eight interceptions. The ground game does have 20 rushing touchdowns, and Louisville provides a good balance between play-calling.

I’m not really sure what Clemson will be trying for at this point. My guess is that they still have a shot at some sort of Bowl Game, but we are talking about something really insignificant. Louisville will most likely not make the College Football Playoffs, but they at least still have a shot. For whatever reason, Louisville hasn’t played quite as well at home, but I think they are the better team here and should be able to navigate this bad Clemson team. Back Louisville -2.5.

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