After a season of breaking down "tough Clemson tape" filled with more losses than wins, ESPN analyst and former Tiger Eric Mac Lain has seen enough to make a bold call.
He's picking Clemson to win.
Despite the Tigers (4-5) entering Friday night's road game as a 3-point underdog, Mac Lain is calling for the upset over Louisville (7:30 p.m./ESPN), citing a surging quarterback and a reeling opponent.
"Call me a homer, two weeks ago I wouldn't have said this -- right now, I think Clemson wins this game," Mac Lain said on his podcast. "Give me the Tigers."
Mac Lain's confidence stems from what he's seen from quarterback Cade Klubnik since the calendar flipped to October.
"Cade Klubnik's been playing really good since October 1," Mac Lain said. "He's a totally different guy. You look at his stats. You look at his QBR. His touchdown to interception ratio. And I kinda did some extra digging on that, 'Ok, he's just played BS teams.'...It's a mixed bag there of what he's faced and he's done really well."
Conversely, Mac Lain sees a Louisville team in freefall after being stunned by Cal in overtime last week as an 18.5-point favorite.
"This Louisville team looked like they fell off a cliff last week. Just totally incompetent. Can't move the ball at the quarterback position," Mac Lain said. "Miller Moss has sadly just regressed."
The absence of Louisville's star running back Isaac Brown, their "superpower," is another massive factor. "That's where Clemson got housed last year by them in Clemson," Mac Lain noted.
Now, with "revenge on their mind," Mac Lain believes the surging Tigers will catch a struggling Cardinals team at the perfect time.
Murray: 'It's Been the Defense All Year'
Not everyone on the panel is as confident. Fellow ESPN analyst Aaron Murray argued that Clemson's offense isn't the problem—it's the defense that remains a massive liability.
"I'm not concerned with Clemson's offense. Because the offense has been fine lately," Murray said. "It's been the defense all year... you give up 35 points [to] SMU, 46 points to Duke -- it's been a defensive issue more than an offensive issue for Clemson this year."
For Murray, the game is a "man-up moment" for a Clemson team that was "embarrassed" by Louisville's physicality last season.
"Can we take the momentum from a week ago and then finish this season strong?" Murray asked. "7-5 sounds a hell of a lot better than 6-6."