Time: 3:30 PM EST
Spread: CLE -10.5
Total: 74
Betting Odds from Bookmaker
GEORGIA TECH
The Yellow Jackets rebounded well after losing their opener to then No. 16 Virginia Tech, as they won their next two games over Presbyterian and Virginia, by a combined score of 115-23.
Things didn’t go as well after that, as they lost to conference rival Miami (FL) by 6 in OT, and then they lost last week by 21 to Middle Tennessee. They’ll look to rebound against a Clemson team that college football oddsmakers have set them as 10.5 point underdogs in.
It has been the rush that has kept Georgia Tech relevant. They rank 3rd in the nation in rushing yards with 329.4 per game. Their passing lingers far behind, near the bottom of the nation, at 115th with only 158.2 yards per game.
The Yellow Jackets have three players with over 200 yards, and Tevin Washington and Zach Laskey have both rushed for over 300.
QB Tevin Washington has scored an amazing 11 TDs rushing already, on his 78 carries, including all four of the Yellow Jackets’ TDs last week against Middle Tennessee, but he failed to throw a single passing TD, and has only three passing TDs on the year, to go with two interceptions. His QB rating is still sky high at 158.3, but it has been a product of avoiding sacks (only 8 on the year) and not throwing many passes that lead to interceptions. Washington is the key to this Ga Tech team covering the spread and/or pulling an upset.
Georgia Tech Betting Trends:
Yellow Jackets are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 overall and 2-5 ATS vs teams with winning records. They are 2-9-1 ATS in their last 12 after accumulating more than 200 yards rushing the previous game, and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in the previous game.
CLEMSON
Clemson has taken care of business against unranked opponents, with all four of their wins coming against Auburn, Ball State, Furman, and Boston College last week. They didn’t fare as well against the then No. 4 Florida State Seminoles.
In the loss to Fla State, they gave up 35 second half points, as E.J. Manuel of the Seminoles went nuts, completing long pass after long pass, driving the ball down the throats of the Tigers’ defense.
Both teams combined for 1,093 yards in that game, but it was Manuel who accounted for 380 of them in the air, completing 27 of 35 passes against the Clemson secondary.
Clemson QB Tajh Boyd threw an interception that led to a Fla State score that put the Seminoles up 49-31, and Clemson managed to only match scores after that, en route to the loss.
Boyd boasts an outstanding QB rating of 161.3 and has thrown 12 TDs on the year to go with his already high 1,351 yards. His completion ratio is 69.4 percent and he averages 8.44 yards per reception. His main target has been DeAndre Hopkins, who has 604 yards on 42 receptions, along with six TDs. The only other receiver with more than 200 yards is Brandon Foyd, who has caught 18 receptions and has 4 TDs. The passing offense ranks 22nd in the nation with 310.2 yards per game.
On the ground, the Tigers are 33rd in the nation with 200.6 yards per game. Andre Ellington has accounted for the success there. The 23 year old senior has 515 yards on 92 carries, for an average of 5.6 yards per carry. He has six running TDs on the year and one reception TD, as well. The 5’9″ workhorse had an amazing 228 yards in the win over Auburn, carrying the ball 25 times for an average of 9.1 yards per carry, while also stomping for a 68 yard run.
If the Tigers can get Ellington working the ball on the ground, and open up the pass routes for Hopkins this could be a much more lopsided victory than the 10.5 point spread set by college football oddsmakers. The Yellow Jackets are an improved team, but can’t hang with Clemson or the better teams in the ACC—not yet anyway.
Clemson Betting Trends:
Tigers are 4-1 ATS vs teams with losing records and 10-3 ATS in their last 13 conference games. They are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing the previous game, and they are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 following an SU win.
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