Clemson Tigers Begin Home Stretch to ACC Title Game Against Louisville

The Clemson Tigers are about to start a five-game stretch to end the regular season against the Louisville Cardinals.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

For the first time since early September, the No. 11 Clemson Tigers got to sit back and watch the chaos without having to play a game.

While the Tigers (6-1, 5-0 in ACC) dropped a couple of spots in the AP Top 25, they received a full week off to heal up for a home stretch that starts on Saturday at home against Louisville.

Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. eastern and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Tigers have played their way into the ACC title game and College Football Playoff conversation and this game will be their last opportunity to make a statement before the CFP committee drops their first rankings next Tuesday.

Clemson's next three games will determine if they can play their way into a berth in the ACC Championship game next month. After the Cardinals, the Tigers have two straight league road games to finish the conference schedule against Virginia Tech and Pitt, the latter of which is undefeated in league play.

Louisville (5-3, 3-2) would need a lot of help to get into the ACC Championship game. The Cardinals have dropped three of their last five games but are coming off a 31-27 victory over Boston College on Friday. The Cardinals can play spoiler to the Tigers on Saturday night.

Here is a preview of Clemson and Louisville.

Louisville at Clemson

Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.

Time: 7:30 p.m., ET

TV: ESPN

Radio: WCCP 105.5 FM (flagship)

Coaches: Clemson — Dabo Swinney (176-44 at Clemson and for his career); Louisville — Jeff Brohm (15-7 at Louisville, 81-51 overall).

Fun fact: While Swinney was a walk-on wide receiver at Alabama, Brohm was a highly-touted quarterback at Louisville who carved out a long professional career that included selection to the 2001 All-XFL team.

All-Times Series: Clemson leads series, 8-0.

Last meeting: Clemson 31, Louisville 16 (2022).

Series notes: The series dates back to 2014, which coincides with when Louisville joined the ACC after being a member of the Big East.

Last Week: Clemson was idle; Louisville def. Boston College, 31-27.

About Louisville: The lure of returning to his alma mater, where he starred as a quarterback, was simply too much for Brohm, who left the Purdue job after the 2022 season to return to his hometown.

He spent plenty of time in Louisville after his professional football career ended. He was the head coach of the Louisville Fire, and with the Cardinals, he was a quarterbacks coach, a passing game coordinator, and the offensive coordinator.

As a head coach, he’s won at all three stops, and he got off to a great start with Louisville last year. They won 10 games, reached the ACC Championship game and finished the season with a Top 25 ranking.

Brohm is trying to build on it, but the sledding is a bit tougher this season. With two losses, the Cardinals are desperate for every win — and some help — to try and engineer a repeat of last season.

About Clemson: Swinney spent his Saturday watching college football. In fact, he told the hosts of a show on the ACC Network that he finally figured out how to get multi-screen on his YouTube TV. So Dabo probably had a relaxing Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Tigers probably got healthy. Their battered receiving corps got a week to rest. Defensive tackle Peter Woods likely received more treatment as he puts his injury issues from September behind him. Quarterback Cade Klubnik got a week to reflect on what has been a terrific season so far.

The Tigers have everything in front of them. But each potential win is important. There are four undefeated teams in the ACC entering this week and the Tigers only play one of them. That will be when they face Pitt in two weeks. That could be a mammoth game with national implications.

This week, the Tigers have to remain focused on a dangerous Louisville team motivated by the idea of being a spoiler and the fact that it’s never beaten Clemson before.

Next Up: Clemson travels to Virginia Tech on Nov. 9. Louisville is idle.