National pundits assess Clemson's chances to be upset by Louisville

Clemson looks to hold down the homefield under the lights.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Friday, November 01 2024

247Sports set a temperature on the potential upsets for the weekend, and it has Louisville's bid as warm for the weekend.

The outlet assessed upset chances from cool to hot, where the Clemson-Louisville temp is "warm."

"Clemson has dominated its last six games, winning by an average margin of 27.3 points, though the level of competition — even within the ACC — has been relatively weak. Now, the Tigers face perhaps their toughest test since their Week 1 loss to Georgia, as a dangerous Louisville team heads to Death Valley for a Saturday night showdown. The Clemson defense has shown signs of vulnerability this season, and it will be up against one of the sharpest offensive minds in college football in Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm. The Tigers cannot afford to expect an easy victory in this one if they want to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive," said Cody Nagel.

In other matchups, South Carolina's bid to take down SEC play-unbeaten Texas A&M is seen as 'hot,' and Florida's upset chances against Georgia are pegged as 'cool.'

CBS Sports' panel is more on the Clemson side with seven of the eight experts picking Clemson straight-up and five of the eight taking Clemson by over 10.5 points. Shehan Jeyarajah is the one going out on a limb taking the Cardinals.

Athlon's predictors each take the Tigers by double-digits.

Louisville is 0-8 all-time versus Clemson since joining the league in 2014.

The Cardinals made a first trip to the ACC Championship Game last year in Jeff Brohm's first season, a 16-6 loss to Florida State.

Clemson won 31-16 in the last meeting in Death Valley in 2022. The Tigers have topped the Cardinals by an average of 22.5 points in Memorial Stadium matchups.

Over the last two seasons, Clemson has won nine consecutive games as a home double-digit favorite, going 6-3 against the spread.