The Clemson Tigers bring their No. 12 ranking into Atlanta this Saturday to take on a conference opponent. They'll go head to head with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in this ACC showdown, as both teams look to win their first conference contest. Dabo Swinney and the Tigers bounced back in Week 2 following their opening loss, while the Yellow Jackets won at home without their starting quarterback, who should be good to go this week. Let's get into our favorite picks in this ACC contest.
Editor's Note: Although odds have changed, we are still a go for this pick.
Cade Klubnik and Clemson have struggled offensively this year
The Clemson Tigers opened the season with a home loss to the now No. 3 ranked LSU Tigers. Despite being a favorite at home, they kept things within a touchdown but Garrett Nussmeier and LSU walked out of the fake Death Valley with a win. In that game, the Tigers (Clemson) produced just 261 yards of offense, were just 3/13 (23.1%) on third down and Cade Klubnik completed just 50% of his passes and had an interception. Their top tier defense gave up over 350 yards of offense, but forced and recovered two fumbles, yet holding LSU to 17 points wasn't enough for the win.
The very next week, Clemson came out flat against Troy, as they were down 16-3 at halftime. Then the Tigers scored 24 second half points and walked away with an 11 point victory. Now they have another tough task in this conference opener.
Georgia Tech beat Colorado on the road in Week 1, and stomped Gardner-Webb in Week 2 without Haynes King. The quarterback is reported to be good to go for this big matchup at home, and that's huge news for the Yellow Jackets and why this line has certainly been bet in their favor.
Matchup Information – Clemson vs. Georgia Tech – September 13
Venue & Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Haynes King ran for 156 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Colorado in Week 1, but was banged up and didn't play in Week 2. He's now well rested and ready for this conference battle, plus he will be making his own personal home opener in front of the fans for this season. Expect this place to be rocking on Saturday morning for this ACC contest, as the Yellow Jackets know they can play with anyone.
They went into Georgia and took them into eight overtimes last year with basically the same personnel, and haven't seen the Tigers in a couple of years. Can they pull off a big, emotional upset at home?
Full transparency (as always), I booked this earlier in the week and snagged +4.5 (-110) as well as +160 on the moneyline. But as long as you are getting the full field goal, it's a go. Plus, you can just take the outright ML with me at this point.
Clemson has been less than impressive in two games. The defense is good, and it will continue to improve. But I sincerely worry about the offense. They can't convert third downs, against a Power Four defense they had less than 275 total yards, and Klubnik has two interceptions and isn't the dual threat he was last year.
While one can certainly argue this is the spot for the Tigers to "get things right", I'd argue that this is a chance for the Yellow Jackets to stick to the top dog and let them know others in the ACC are here to compete. Catching at least a field goal is good for me, as Georgia Tech should be able to keep up with Clemson. Plus, I do lean under, thinking we see a 24-21 ball game in favor of the hosts.
Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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