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College GameDay heads to Louisville in Week 3 for Cardinals vs. Clemson

By Zach Bigalke

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 26: ESPN College GameDay announcers (l to r) Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit comment during the NCAA football game between Notre Dame and Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 26, 2002 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Florida State Seminoles 34-24. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 26: ESPN College GameDay announcers (l to r) Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit comment during the NCAA football game between Notre Dame and Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 26, 2002 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Florida State Seminoles 34-24. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images) /
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The showdown between Clemson and the Cardinals gets top billing after College GameDay just announced that they will head to Louisville in Week 3.

Every Sunday, fans wake up wondering whether their team will get the chance to host ESPN’s beloved College GameDay on the upcoming Saturday. Fans in Gainesville, Starkville, San Diego, Los Angeles, and many points in between will all be disappointed. The show has announced its pick for host site next week, and none of them made the cut.

Instead, Louisville Cardinals fans were greeted with the honor for the second time in school history. College GameDay will visit Papa John’s Stadium for the ACC Atlantic matchup between Louisville and visiting Clemson on Sept. 16.

Last year, the Cardinals hosted College GameDay for the first time in school history when Florida State visited Louisville in Week 3. On that day, Lamar Jackson cemented his position as the Heisman frontrunner as the Cardinals trounced the Seminoles 63-20.

The showdown between Clemson and Louisville also received a visit from College GameDay last season when the two teams met in South Carolina. Jackson and Deshaun Watson had a duel for the ages, as the Tigers took charge of the division race in the ACC Atlantic with a 42-36 survival at home.

On one sideline, Lamar Jackson returns for Bobby Petrino’s Cardinals. He has looked so far like a legitimate threat to repeat as the Heisman winner. On the other sideline, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson team is 2-0 but doesn’t necessarily look like a championship contender at this point.

But with Florida State’s Deondre Francois out for the season, this game is probably going to serve as the de facto divisional title game. Kelly Bryant will hope to replicate Watson’s success against the Cardinals. Louisville, though, has the advantage of already securing its first ACC win of the year.

Next: College Football: Top 50 breakout candidates for 2017

Will Lee Corso put on a Tiger head or a Cardinal head when the GameDay crew heads to Louisville this weekend? Tune in when they broadcast live from outside Papa John’s Stadium in Kentucky on Saturday morning.

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