The Tigers have been dominant this season, beating the Hurricanes 58-0 in Miami and topping Notre Dame.
Clemson, however, has only faced a spread as large as Saturday’s spread once, against Wofford to kick off the season. Saturday should be a bit more challenging while the Tigers are on the road against a fellow ACC team.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Syracuse Orange +26.5
Clemson Tigers -26.5
Over/Under 58
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Tigers are on the road, but as the top team in the nation, according to the College Football Playoff Rankings and the AP Top-25, against a Syracuse team that’s dropped six straight, they opened as heavy favorites and the spread has continued to grow from there.
Since the odds were first released at BookMaker, the spread has jumped a point and a half up to -28 in Clemson’s favor. Meanwhile, the total has dropped half a point down to 57.5.
WHEN THE CLEMSON TIGERS HAVE THE BALL
The game could get out of hand early for the Orange as they face a Clemson offense ranked No. 20 in overall offense, averaging 488.1 yards per game.
Syracuse’s defense isn’t too bad against the run. They’re around league average though Wayne Gallman should still be able to put forth a solid effort. He’s averaging 5.4 yards per carry and has 964 yards and eight touchdowns this year. Quarterback Deshaun Watson can also do damage on the ground, as a dual threat quarterback, he’s accumulated 493 yards on 94 carries.
While the ground game should continue to move the ball, particularly on short and early down situations, look for the Tigers to turn to their passing game early and often—at least until they mount a multiple score lead.
The Orange’s defense has struggled pressuring the quarterback and the secondary has a number of holes. Wide receiver Artavis Scott should be able to exploit a Syracuse secondary ranked No. 113 in passing yards allowed per game.
As good as Watson has been running the ball, he’s been better passing it. He’s completing just under 70% of his passes and has amassed 2,246 yards and 21 touchdowns, throwing just seven interceptions.
Look for Clemson to jump out to an early lead. If they do and that drives the spread even higher, don’t be afraid to jump on the Orange. The Tigers will likely hit a point where they turn to their running game to carry the team, likely giving Zac Brooks and C.J. Fuller some looks.
WHEN THE SYRACUSE ORANGE HAVE THE BALL
The Orange haven’t been able to hang with the better teams, capturing three wins early against lesser competition, but since stringing six losses together.
The defense was the issue early, but over the last three games, Syracuse is averaging less than 20-points per game.
Syracuse is below average running the ball and has been even worse than that through the air.
They dropped their last game to Louisville 41-17 and quarterback Eric Dungey managed just 158 yards while tossing a pair of interceptions. He suffered an injury in the game and turned things over to Zach Mahoney who’ll be the starter on Saturday.
The sophomore has attempted 50 passes this season, completing 25 of them for 217 yards and four touchdowns.
Keep an eye on Mahoney, he started against LSU earlier this year and helped the team keep those Tigers close, dropping 34-24. He had three touchdowns in the game and added 40 rushing yards.
BETTING TRENDS AND MATCHUPS
This could be a letdown week for the Tigers and it would likely take just that for the Orange to be competitive. Syracuse plays better at home and should be amped to play the nation’s top team though a large early lead by the Tigers could quickly zap the early game energy.
If you’re looking to play on the total and the Orange are able to keep it close through the first quarter, jump on the over. The longer Syracuse is able to stay within shouting distance, the more likely the team is to be able to put up enough points on their end to help drive up the total.
Overall, the over has paid out in eight of the Orange’s last nine games and four of their last five at home. The over is also 4-1 in the Tigers’ last five games.
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Clemson Tigers and Syracuse Orange square off on Saturday, November 14, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. ET at the Carrier Dome. The matchup will be televised live on ABC.
