Clemson Tigers at North Carolina State Wolfpack Betting Preview
A Twitter post this week laid out this matchup the best; The winner of this matchup has gone on to win the past six ACC Championships. It’s just a minor detail that Clemson has won the last eight matchups and all six of those titles on their own.
The Tigers have made the College Football Playoffs in each of those years, and even though NC State has made it to five bowl games during that time, the Wolfpack the level of success is on a different level.
If we take a look at the betting odds and betting lines, we can see that Clemson Tigers are coming into the match as big betting favorites, priced just -380 for the win. North Carolina State Wolfpack are currently +320 to take the W.
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Clemson Tigers Team Preview
Dabo Swinney has reached the playoffs in all but one of the seasons that the tournament has been in place. The Tigers entered the season near the top of the list of favorites to return to the four-team bracket at the end of the season, but an early loss to Georgia and a close win over Georgia Tech have those prospects in doubt. The Tigers have scored a combined 17 points in their two games against the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets.
The main cause for concern for the Tigers so far has been the offensive line. Sophomore DJ Uiagalelei ranked near the top of the list of Heisman favorites to start the season but has struggled to get going through three games. Freshman running back Will Shipley has been a bright spot as he’s proven to be the playmaker his five-star status promised, but until the line and passing game pick up, Clemson won’t be the same national threat they’ve been.
Defensively, however, Clemson is as good as they’ve ever been. Brent Venables’ unit has yet to give up an offensive touchdown through three games. They have playmakers at all three levels, with Bryan Bresee highlighting the defensive line and James Skalski and Nolan Turner protecting the back seven. The defense will need to keep dominating while the offense improves if Clemson is going to return to the playoffs.
North Carolina State Wolfpack Team Preview
The Wolfpack brought back 20 starters from their team a season ago and have been primed to provide competition in the ACC. NC State is 2-1 on the season with big wins over South Florida and Furman at home and a loss on the road against Mississippi State 24-10. The Wolfpack looked like the better team at times in that game, but three turnovers ultimately gave the Bulldogs the edge.
Devin Leary has been a solid presence at the quarterback position, and his backfield mates Zonavon Knight and Ricky Person Jr have provided a great two-headed rushing attack. NC State will have to protect the ball better than they did against Mississippi State if they’re going to have any chance of putting up the first touchdown of the season on Clemson’s defense.
The Wolfpack defense is no slouch in their own right, however. The team is averaging giving up just over 10 points per game but needs to create some disruption of their own going forward. They’ve only taken the ball away four times and racked up two sacks on the year so far.
Betting Preview
BetOnline and BetUS each have the line favoring the Tigers on the road by 10 points. Something will have to change for Clemson offensively to cover this betting spread, given the Tigers two offensive touchdowns against FBS opponents this year in as many games.
Both sportsbooks have the over/under total points set at 47 combined points, which may seem low but could still be a struggle in this defensive matchup. Play the under as each offense will struggle to find the end zone with consistency on Saturday. The Wolfpack have a veteran team at home against Clemson’s struggling offense; take NC State with the points.
