College Football ATS Picks - Kent State at Clemson Game Preview

Defending a national championship is never easy. It’s even harder when you are doing it without the best player in program history. The Clemson Tigers are about to experience that. Deshaun Watson is gone and the story of the offseason has been how to replace him. Kelly Bryant is going to get the first chance at the gig, but freshmen Hunter Johnson and Zerrick Cooper are chomping at the bit to get the chance to. Clemson starts its season against the Kent State Golden Flashes this week.

Kickoff for this college football Week 1 game is set for Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 12 p.m. ET at Clemson Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu

Kent State +40
Clemson -40
Over/Under 51

Odds Analysis

The Tigers were heavy favorites in most of their games last season, but were underdogs in both of their College Football Playoff games. They proved the oddsmakers wrong by trouncing Ohio State and winning an instant classic against Alabama and are now 4-0 ATS in the CFP. Clemson has won and covered each of its last four non-conference games. Five of its last six games have gone over the total, most with ease.

Kent State hasn’t had a winning record or a winning ATS season since Paul Haynes took over in 2013. The Golden Flashes did cover three of the four games in which they were a double-digit dog last season though, with the one exception being against Alabama. Over went 7-5 in their games last season.

Coaching Angle

Haynes will be unavailable for this game and the first few games on Kent State’s schedule. Late Sunday night, the school announced that he will be stepping away from the team for a few weeks for medical reasons.

In his absence, offensive coordinator Don Treadwell will be the head coach for the Golden Flashes. Treadwell has prior head coaching experience, having been the main man at Miami of Ohio for three seasons. It will be interesting to see how he manages the additional duty.

Matchup to Watch

Clemson has one of the best defensive lines in the nation and this unit should be able to have its way with Kent State. The Golden Flashes have an offensive line that allowed 34 sacks in 2016 and they are more inexperienced than they were last year.

The defensive tackle duo of Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence is unquestionably the best in the country. Wilkins was phenomenal, being named a third-team All-American at defensive end last season. He was a master of the controlled rush and ended his season with 9.5 tackles for loss and 10 pass breakups.

Dexter Lawrence is a phenom. He was a starter as a true freshman last season and mauled offensive linemen throughout the year. He has freakish ability for a player his size and is hard to block with just one lineman. Lawrence was a Second-Team All-ACC selection in 2016 and should be one of the best in the country in 2017.

Free ATS Pick

There’s no doubt that Clemson is going to win this game, but there are legitimate questions. How much will the Tigers show with Auburn and Louisville on the schedule in the next two weeks? The Golden Flashes don’t have the talent to exploit mismatches against the Tigers, but those teams do.

Clemson will likely use this game to give its quarterbacks some run. Bryant is going to start, but Johnson should see time too and Cooper might play a series or two.

With all that in mind, look for Kent State to get the cover. Clemson has a lot of kinks to work out and know that it doesn’t need to push to hard to push over Kent State. Instead, the Tigers will use this as a glorified scrimmage.

College Football Odds: Tigers 41, Golden Flashes 10

BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!