Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Clemson

Take a look at how the Cardinals stack up against the Tigers for their Saturday matchup, and who the statistical models favor:

Oct 5, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) looks to pass against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the first quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville (5-3, 3-2 ACC) is set to face Clemson (6-1, 5-0 ACC) on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. EST at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Here's how the Cardinals stack up against the Tigers:

*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*

Rankings

	CU	UofL
AP/USA TODAY	11th/8th	RV/RV
SOS	75th	17th
SOR	20th	31st
SP+	14th	22nd
FPI	13th	17th
Sagarin	14th	28th
Kelley Ford	14th	19th
CFB Insiders	12th	24th

Offensive Statistics

	CU	UofL
Total Offense	5th (490.4)	15th (460.0)
Yards Per Play	9th (7.05)	12th (6.97)
Scoring Offense	4th (42.0)	20th (36.6)
Passing Yards	17th (290.6)	10th (302.8)
Yards Per Completion	55th (12.48)	35th (13.02)
Rushing Yards	26th (199.9)	68th (157.3)
Yards Per Rush Attempt	9th (5.85)	27th (5.16)
First Downs Gained	28th (176)	42nd (172)
3rd Down Con. %	26th (45.5%)	86th (38.3%)
4th Down Con. %	50th (57.1%)	77th (50.0%)
Red Zone Con. %	32nd (90.6%)	96th (80.0%)
Turnovers Lost	2nd (4)	48th (9)
Interceptions Thrown	6th (3)	35th (5)
Fumbles Lost	4th (1)	57th (4)
Tackles for Loss Allowed	31st (4.29)	39th (4.63)
Sacks Allowed	7th (0.86)	54th (1.63)
Avg. Time of Possession	57th (30:31)	63rd (30:22)

Key: National Rank out of 134 FBS Teams (Value)

Defensive Statistics

	CU	UofL
Total Defense	53rd (348.0)	62nd (359.0)
Yards Allowed Per Play	58th (5.38)	64th (5.45)
Scoring Defense	62nd (23.0)	72nd (24.6)
Passing Yards Allowed	67th (219.0)	73rd (222.8)
Rushing Yards Allowed	46th (130.0)	59th (136.3)
First Downs Allowed	33rd (137)	46th (145)
3rd Down Defensive %	19th (31.9%)	52nd (36.0%)
4th Down Defensive %	52nd (50.0%)	96th (61.1%)
Red Zone Defensive %	59th (82.6%)	83rd (86.4%)
Turnovers Gained	36th (13)	108th (7)
Interceptions Caught	29th (9)	124th (2)
Fumbles Recovered	53rd (4)	33rd (5)
TFL Per Game	18th (7.0)	37th (6.4)
Sacks Per Game	38th (2.43)	59th (2.13)

Key: National Rank out of 134 FBS Teams (Value)

Special Teams Statistics:

	CU	UofL
Net Punting	87th (38.31)	111th (36.43)
Avg. Kickoff Return	102nd (17.75)	59th (20.45)
Avg. Kickoff Return Def.	55th (18.56)	45th (18.08)
Avg. Punt Return	60th (8.92)	118th (3.86)
Avg. Punt Return Def.	55th (6.10)	47th (5.60)
Field Goal Attempts	12-14	9-15
PAT	36-37	38-38

Key: National Rank out of 134 FBS Teams (Value)

- FPI Prediction: Per ESPN's Football Power Index, the Cardinals have a 32.9 percent chance to win against the Tigers. Louisville has an FPI rating of 13.3 (17th overall), whereas Clemson has an FPI rating of 16.5 (13th overall).

- SP+ Prediction: Per Bill Connelly's SP+ model, the Cardinals have a 32.32 percent chance to take down the Tigers. Louisville has an SP+ rating of 12.9 (22nd overall), whereas Clemson has an FPI rating of 18.2 (14th overall).

- Kelley Ford Prediction: Per the Kelley Ford ratings, the Cardinals have a 32 percent chance to defeat the Tigers. Louisville has a KFord rating of 13.6 (19th overall), whereas Clemson has a KFord rating of 17.3 (14th overall).

- College Football Insiders Prediction: Per College Football Insiders' IPR metric, the Cardinals have a 34.10 percent chance to take down the Tigers. Louisville has an IPR rating of 58 (24th overall), whereas Clemson has an IPR rating of 66 (12th overall).

- Personal Prediction: Clemson 35, Louisville 28

(Photo of Tyler Shough: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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