The No. 3 Clemson Tigers come into this Week 10 matchup against Syracuse as huge favorites at home and fresh off a grind-it-out victory over No. 12 Florida State. The Tigers are undefeated at 8-0 and while many believe the Seminoles were their last big hurdle, they still need to show up each week to avoid a misstep.
Syracuse has won its last two in a row to improve to 4-4 on the season. Included in that win is an upset against No. 17 Virginia Tech on October 15th. However, Clemson seems well on its way to a berth in the College Football Playoff and should have no trouble taking care of business in this one. The only real question surrounds which team will cover the spread, as the Tigers will need to hit the gas quickly to get a big lead.
This contest in Week 10 of the regular season will go down Saturday, November 5, 2016, at 7 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium .
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Syracuse +27.5
Clemson -27.5
Over/Under 61
Odds Analysis
Clemson has to win this game by four touchdowns to cover, and the early betting action believes that will be hard to do. Nearly 85 percent of the money is on Syracuse to cover this spread.
The scoring total seems to be pegged low as 89 percent of the money is pounding the “over” to pay out.
The Tigers are 4-3-1 against the spread this season and they have been favored in every game they have played in. Clemson is 2-2 attempting to cover at home.
Syracuse is 4-4 straight up this season and also 4-4 against the spread. The Orange are 3-4 trying to cover as underdogs this season including a 2-1 mark on the road.
Matchup to Watch
Deshaun Watson and the pass-heavy offense against the Syracuse secondary. The Orange secondary was hit hard by injuries this season and it showed, especially early on.
Syracuse had a breakout performance last week though, holding Boston College to just 64 passing yards in the 28-20 win. Still, the unit faces a huge test against the Tigers this week.
Watson has thrown for 2,328 yards with 22 touchdowns and ten interceptions so far this season. Clemson is averaging 314 passing yards a game while Syracuse is allowing 251.5 points a game by opponents this season.
This matchup just got much more interesting after what Syracuse has done of late, although Watson is such a transcendent talent that it may not really matter.
Key Stat
430. That’s how many yards Watson accumulated last week against Florida State. He threw for 378 yards and rushed for 52 more.
What’s more, Watson was able to shake off a couple of early interceptions and come back to take the lead with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Leggett and two-point conversion to take the lead. The win marked the junior’s third game of the year where he’s thrown for more than 300 yards in a game and his poise and playmaking abilities could spell trouble for Syracuse this week.
Free ATS Pick
Clemson has been in a few close games this year, which it has been lucky to pull out in order to keep its national championship hopes alive. This one should not be that close, as the Tigers have the clear talent advantage.
However, Syracuse does have a win over nationally ranked Virginia Tech on its resume, and has a pretty big cushion when it comes to the spread. While the Orange could have trouble scoring a lot against a good Clemson defense, the secondary will play well enough against Watson to keep this one from being a ridiculous blowout, allowing Syracuse to cover.
The “over” may be getting most of the money but expect the Syracuse offense to be slowed enough for the “under” to actually be the correct pick.
College Football Odds: Clemson 38, Syracuse 16
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