Game: Syracuse Orange at Clemson Tigers

Date: September 20th at 12:00 PM ET

Where to Watch: ESPN

The Clemson Tigers have gotten off to as slow a start as you could imagine, and optimism for this program is fading. This week, they continue ACC play at home against the Syracuse Orange, who enter with a 2-1 record. Syracuse’s wins haven’t come against the most formidable opponents, but this team likely has far more confidence than Clemson heading into the matchup. The Tigers suffered yet another tough result late in last week’s game against Georgia Tech, one that seemed destined for overtime. That loss dropped Clemson to 1-2, and if they want any chance of making the College Football Playoff, they will likely need to win out.

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Weather

Weather may play a small role in this one, with temperatures expected in the mid to high 80s. Forecasts currently show a 25% chance of precipitation, but that could change as we get closer to Saturday. Wind shouldn’t be a major factor, with averages around 5 mph and gusts up to 15 mph.

Betting Overview

This game opened with Clemson as a heavy 17.5-point favorite and has stayed relatively steady, with some books listing them at 17. Moneylines have also remained consistent, with Syracuse hovering between +550 and +580, while Clemson sits between -800 and -1000. The over/under currently stands at 55.5 across most sportsbooks, ticking up slightly from its original 54.5. Last season, Clemson won this matchup decisively, 34-14, covering the 7-point spread and hitting the under of 52.5.

Syracuse is currently 1-1-1 ATS, though their game against UConn is a bit of a discrepancy—some books had the Orange as 7.5-point favorites, meaning they didn’t cover, which would make them 1-2 ATS. The over has hit in two of their three games so far. We don’t have any road data for Syracuse this season, but last year they went 3-2 ATS away from home, with the over/under split evenly.

Clemson has yet to cover a spread this season, and the under has hit in all three games. Last year at home, the Tigers went 3-4 ATS, with the over cashing in a slight majority of contests.

Final Thoughts

With Clemson as inconsistent as they’ve been so far this season, I don’t have much confidence in them covering this game. Their defense has remained strong, though, which supports the under, especially with a Syracuse offense that struggled to score against a less-than-stellar Connecticut defense.