ESPN College GameDay 2016: Week 5 Schedule, Location, Predictions and More

A week removed from watching Tennessee expel past demons by taking apart Florida, the ESPN College GameDay crew enters Death Valley for an encounter between the No. 3 Louisville Cardinals and the No. 5 Clemson Tigers on Saturday.

This Game of the Year candidate is all about the offense with two Heisman Trophy hopefuls set to collide. Clemson's Deshaun Watson has gotten off to a slower start than the upstart Lamar Jackson for Louisville, but both sides anticipate plenty of fireworks in the ACC battle.

With Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack heading the hype show in front of what is sure to be a wild Clemson crowd, there isn't a better way to prepare for Saturday night's gigantic showdown.

Here's a look at everything to know about the broadcast.

ESPN College GameDay Week 5 Info 

Date: Saturday

Time (ET): 9 a.m. to noon; game is at 8 p.m.

Location: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South Carolina

Watch: ESPN; game is on ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Preview

Hosts or not, the Clemson Tigers have their backs to the wall in this contest. Despite returning nine starters and a Heisman contender, they haven't had the offensive success they anticipated.

Not counting a 59-0 dismissal of South Carolina State, the Tigers have posted scores of only 19, 30 and 26 points, behind Watson's 996 yards and nine touchdowns to four interceptions.

In fact, the Clemson coaching staff hasn't been shy in saying there's room for growth.

“I think we have a lot of room to improve,” co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said, according to USA Today's Dan Wolken. “We have a lot of things we have to clean up, but we get to work every day ... and hopefully we’ll get it figured out and peak at the right time.”

Louisville hasn't had any such troubles. The Cardinals have looked like a video game on rookie mode, dropping scores of 70, 62, 63 and 59 points, perhaps enough to outscore their men's basketball counterpart.

They bombed then-No. 2 Florida State 63-20; the Seminoles were once considered the favorites to win the ACC outright. Jackson threw one of his 13 touchdowns in that game and rushed for four of his 12 scores as well.

Pro Football Focus provided some staggering context to Jackson's rushing totals this year:

Perhaps the biggest unknown around Saturday's heavyweight bout is how much of a difference the Clemson defense can make.

While it's unexpected, the Tigers defense is garnering more praise and attention than the offense through four games. The stout unit ranks third in the nation at an average of 218.5 yards allowed per game and fifth in scoring defense at an average of 11 points per game.

The defense held the SEC's Auburn to 13 points and shut down a ball-control Georgia Tech attack, limiting the Yellow Jackets to seven points and 95 rushing yards on a terrible 2.5 yards-per-carry average.

At home, the Clemson defense might ride a loud crowd and help the Tigers take another step toward the ACC crown.

Prediction

According to Odds Shark, Las Vegas has this one as a shootout with an over-under of 67.5.

No argument there, though Clemson being favored by about a field goal doesn't seem right. The Tigers might be at home in the so-called Death Valley, but Louisville won't much care if the offense can keep riding Jackson up and down the field.

While Clemson's defensive numbers have impressed so far, the level of competition hasn't been too noteworthy. The Tigers have yet to encounter anything even close to Jackson.

Louisville has looked better than Clemson while facing stiffer competition. Watson and the Clemson offense might come alive in a shootout, but it is hard to name an attack in the country that can outpace the Heisman favorite: Jackson.

Barring an epic letdown, Louisville should pull ahead early and set the pace.

Prediction: Louisville 38, Clemson 30

Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.