The No. 4 Clemson Tigers lost to the No. 9 LSU Tigers last night, and Dabo Swinney's star quarterback had an underwhelming performance. Clemson has one of the best teams from top to bottom and has the best odds to win the ACC, but after they scored just 10 points in their season opener and fell to LSU, did the door swing open for Louisville?
It sounds like maybe a bit of an overreaction, but Cade Klubnik's performance last night proved that Louisville football has a legitimate shot of not only taking down Clemson again this year in Week 12, but also winning their first ACC Title.
Related: Oddsmakers have more faith in Louisville football in 2025 than the media
Louisville football has a clear path to ACC Title after LSU exposes Clemson
FanDuel still gives the Tigers a dominant +140 odds to win the ACC, while Louisville has the third-best odds of +800. However, when Louisville and college football fans watched Klubnik's performance last night, they were not impressed and were quite underwhelmed.
The Tigers' star quarterback had one of the best odds to win the Heisman entering the 2025 season, but after his poor outing last night, he dropped from +900 all the way to +1800. Klubnik finished the game going 19-of-38 for 230 yards, throwing zero touchdowns and one interception.
LSU dominated the trenches and rushed Klubnik to make poor reads and bad throws all night. If Louisville wants to dominate like LSU did in Week 12 and how they did last year, the Cardinals' defensive line must attack like they did yesterday and rattle Klubnik, which the SEC is proving isn't hard to do.
Klubnik finished the game with a QBR of an abysmally low 31.4, and fans all over the internet were calling him overrated and overhyped. Louisville's ACC Title hopes didn't just get cracked open last night, but they flung open. But the Cardinals must take care of business and focus on one week at a time.
If Louisville is going to beat Clemson again, LSU just gave them the blueprint. The good news for the Cardinals fans is that they don't play until Week 12, and it is at home. So, this Cardinals team can continue to grow and build chemistry, and then when that Friday night comes around in November, Louisville can dominate just like LSU did.
The path to an ACC Title just got clearer, and the Cardinals' matchup against Pitt in Week 5 is crucial. If Louisville can go into Miami undefeated, then this team will likely play Clemson most likely undefeated or with one loss, making that matchup in Week 12 quite possibly the biggest game for the Cardinals since Lamar Jackson and the No. 3 Cardinals lost to Deshaun Watson and the No. 5 Tigers.
Klubnik showed a lot of flaws and weaknesses in the Tigers' Week 1 loss, and Louisville now knows there is a path to an ACC Title. If Louisville can take care of business and beat the teams they are supposed to beat, then the Cardinals have a path to finishing 10-2 and returning to their second ACC Championship in three years.
Related: 5 challenges Louisville football must overcome to win the ACC
Louisville will face James Madison on Friday, September 5, at L&N Stadium. For all Louisville football news and updates, stay tuned.
Read more about Louisville football