For years, the Florida State Seminoles dominated the ACC. From 1992 to 2003, FSU won 11 ACC championships and looked like it was starting another run after winning three straight titles from 2012 to 2014. However, it’s the Clemson Tigers that have instead dominated the conference. Clemson has made it to the national title game the last two seasons and won its first national championship in 35 years last season. In that run, the Tigers have knocked off the Seminoles twice and Dabo Swinney’s team is looking to make it three straight.
This matchup in Week 11 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, November 11, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida State +16
Clemson -16
Over/Under 46
Odds Analysis
Bettors thought that oddsmakers made this spread a little too high to start. Clemson opened as a 17.5-point favorite in this one, and sharps grabbed the extra points knowing how quickly that number would disappear. Don’t be surprised if this one closes at around 14 by kickoff.
Incredibly, Florida State is still in search of its first cover this season. The Seminoles are 0-6-2 ATS in their worst season in four decades and are 3-5 overall. A loss here means they need to win out in order to save their bowl streak, which is the longest current streak of any major team.
The Tigers have had a hard time covering big spreads as the season has gone one. Clemson went 0-3-1 ATS in the month of October and even suffered an outright loss at the hands of Syracuse. They keep managing to win though, and that’s what’s important.
Key Stats
Florida State’s offense has completely collapsed this season. The Seminoles are outside the top 100 in total offense and are ranked in the 90s in terms of both passing yards and rushing yards.
Although it’s easy to shrug off the performance by saying that things would be different with Deondre Francois at quarterback, they shouldn’t be this bad. FSU has a freshman quarterback at the helm now, but the offensive line has been terrible and the wide receivers have not been able to develop as they should have.
The lone bright spot for FSU’s offense has been the production from the running backs. Replacing Dalvin Cook is no easy task, but Cam Akers walked right onto campus and has shown why he was considered the top running back recruit in the country. He is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has teamed up to make a dynamic combination with Jacques Patrick.
Matchup to Watch
Clemson’s offense played well against North Carolina State last week. The Tigers were able to have success on the ground against the Wolfpack defense, averaging 6.4 yards per carry thanks to a big run from Tavien Feaster.
However, Kelly Bryant still doesn’t look to be at his best. Clemson has continued to run him because it needs to in order to win, but he is not as decisive as he once was. Additionally, his passing numbers are down and he only averaged five yards per attempt last week.
It's safe to say the season is a wash for the Seminoles and they have given up somewhat, but the defense will be at least somewhat fired up.
Free ATS Pick
There’s no doubt that Florida State has the talent to stick around with Clemson. The Seminoles have been a perennial contender the last five years, but the team has fell short of all expectations this year. The key will be whether or not the Seminoles can focus on the task at hand here. Clemson isn’t invulnerable and has shown plenty of weakness. That’s why I expect the Noles to hang around and get the cover.
College Football Odds: Clemson 27, Florida State 17
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