5 Clemson Storylines Heading into Louisville Week

Big questions, a hot opponent and a situation at a key position await Clemson this week as the Tigers look to bounce back from their first loss of the season.

Jason Priester/All Clemson

Clemson fell to 8-1 with a 35-14 loss at Notre Dame on Nov. 5 and the Tigers, who were fourth in last week's College Football Playoff rankings, dropped to No. 12 in the AP Top 25. 

They'll look to return to winning ways this week against Louisville, which is coming off a 34-10 non-conference win over James Madison that improved the Cardinals to 6-3 overall. 

The Tigers are 6-0 in ACC play while Louisville is 3-3. 

Saturday's kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. 

Here are five storylines heading into what the Tigers hope is a bounce-back week:

1. Big questions: Dabo Swinney, the coordinators and all the players will be asked how they plan on atoning for the demoralizing loss at Notre Dame. The Tigers were outplayed physically and outcoached by the Irish staff. There's a lot to answer for this week. How did Clemson get so pushed around by ND's offensive line? Why did the offense look so sluggish and predictable following an open date? What's the mindset of the team now that an undefeated season is off the table? How will they respond?

2. Big week: Clemson has already wrapped up a spot in the Dec. 3 ACC Championship Game. The Syracuse loss to Pittsburgh last week guaranteed a return trip to Charlotte, but if the Tigers want to outright win the Atlantic Division and keep from sharing the trophy, they'll need to win one of the next two games. Beating Lousiville would seal that up. Does that mean the Tigers will be in orange britches? Saturday is also Military Appreciation Day, so Clemson could pull out the rare purple jerseys/orange pants combination. 

3. Big situation: Clemson kind of has a quarterback problem. The coaching staff decided to bench DJ Uiagalelei for the second consecutive game for freshman backup Cade Klubnik. This time, it didn't go well as Klubnik threw an interception. So did Uiagalelei. Both led to 14 Irish points and a world of doubt about the position. Swinney says they need to continue to get Klubnik game reps, but Uiagalelei is still the No. 1 option. Another week of turnovers and putting the team in bad positions might change that for the veteran who's regressed the last two games after a promising seven-start run. 

4. Big birds: Louisville comes to town out for revenge. The Cardinals felt like they let a golden opportunity to beat Clemson last year slip away, and they were vocal about it during the offseason. But are the Cardinals good enough to be the team that ends Clemson's 38-game home winning streak? The answer appeared to be no as they started ACC play 0-3, but they've won four consecutive games, including three against league opponents. Louisville must be taken seriously, and quarterback Malik Cunningham is a handful with his scrambling and down-field passing ability. This won't be an easy out. 

5. Big ranking: Tuesday marks the second release of 2022 for the CFP, and the committee isn't likely to be too kind to the Tigers following that loss at Notre Dame. Still, it will be interesting to see where they drop a team that was in their initial top four. Does Clemson have any shot at finding a way into the CFP? That question will be easier to answer once we see where the Tigers fall behind other one-loss teams, but the fact is, much of their playoff hopes are now out of their control. 

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