Week 1 of this college football season concludes with an ACC cross-divisional bout as Clemson meets Georgia Tech Monday night on neutral turf in Atlanta. The Tigers are trying to jump back into the national championship picture this season, following a down season last year, while the Yellow Jackets are just hoping to make some progress following three straight three-win campaigns.
Here’s our homework for this contest, with our free college football betting pick.
College Football Betting Odds
The Week 1 college football betting lines opened Clemson as a 19-point favorite over Georgia Tech, with an over/under of around 50. Early betting action then steamed the Tigers five-points up to -24 and the total up one to 51.
Clemson-Georgia Tech College Football Betting Preview
The Tigers are coming off a 10-3 season last year, which is great for almost any other program in the country but short of expectations for this one. Clemson opened last season with a 10-3 loss to eventual national champion Georgia and later defeats to North Carolina State, and Pitt dropped them from College Football Playoff contention. The Tigers then won their last five games but missed out on the ACC championship game because of that loss to the Panthers. Clemson then beat Iowa State in a minor bowl to reach double-digit wins for the 11th straight season.
The Tigers return 15 starters this season, tied for fourth-most in the ACC. Nine starters are back on an offense that averaged just 359 yards per game last season, that unit’s worst performance since 2010, including quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (9/10 TD/INT last season) and four along the offensive line. And six starters are back on a defense that held opponents to 305 YPG, including the entire front four but only two of the back seven.
With only four true road games this season and the Wolfpack and Miami at Death Valley, Clemson is playing against a wins over/under of 10.5.
The Yellow Jackets, as mentioned above, are coming off their third straight three-win season under Coach Collins. Georgia Tech actually started 3-3 last year, with a close loss at Clemson and an upset victory over North Carolina. But the Ramblin’ Wreck then lost their last six games, including the last two against Notre Dame and Georgia by a combined score of 100-0, and missed a bowl for the third straight year.
This season Georgia Tech returns just eight starters, the fewest in the ACC. Five starters are back on an offense that averaged 367 YPG last season, including QB Jeff Sims (16 career starts). But they gotta replace last year’s top two rushers and three along the offensive line. And only three starters are back on a defense that gave up 455 YPG last year, none along the defensive line.
With only five true home games this season and road dates at Pitt, Florida State, North Carolina, and Georgia, the Yellow Jackets are playing against a wins O/U of 3.5.
Clemson-Georgia Tech Recent History
The Tigers own a seven-game winning streak on the Ramblin’ Wreck, going 5-1-1 ATS along the way. Last year, when Clemson was struggling, the Tigers made a defensive stop at their own 2-yard line in the waning moments to secure a 14-8 victory but came nowhere close to covering at -27.5.
The two teams combined for less than 600 yards of offense that day, and the game played way under a total of 52.5.
Prior to that, Clemson had won the previous six meetings by an average score of 45-14.
- Get more details: Clemson vs. Georgia TGech 9/5/22 Betting Stats
College Football Betting Trends
Clemson is 19-13-2 ATS the last five seasons as a favorite of 24 points or less.
Georgia Tech is 2-4 ATS as a dog of 20 or more points under Coach Collins.
Totals Report
- The Unders played 8-4-1 in Clemson games last season, which averaged 41 total points.
- The Totals split 6-6 in Georgia Tech games last season, which averaged 57 points.
- The Overs are 3-1 over the last four meetings between these teams, which averaged 60 points.
