No longer the powerhouse it once was, the Clemson Tigers enter the 2024 College Football betting season looking to bounce back from their worst campaign in over a decade. Winning nine games, capped by a Gator Bowl victory over Kentucky, isn’t what the folks in Death Valley previously signed up for under Dabo Swinney’s watch. Due to a number of poorly timed turnovers that resulted in tough defeats to NC State, Miami, and Florida State, the Tigers lost on four separate occasions for the first time since 2011. The writing was on the wall as early as the season opener, after getting destroyed by Duke in a game where linemakers had them installed as 12-point road favorites. The Tigers, however, closed the campaign strong, winning five straight and covering the closing CFB betting odds four times. Though a number of integral contributors are no longer on the roster, this is still Clemson, a program that routinely has plenty of reinforcements waiting in the wings. Even without bringing in a single transfer portal addition, linemakers at the online sportsbook believe this year’s edition is capable of at least matching last year’s win output, with Clemson’s win total sitting at a flat nine entering the regular season.
College Football Season Wins Odds
Clemson Tigers 2024-25 Regular Season Win Total Odds
Clemson Over 9 Wins -115
Clemson Under 9 Wins -105
A Case for the Over: While the defensive line suffered several defections due to graduation or transfer, the stop unit as a whole is still filled with upper-tier talent that should position Clemson as one of the best defenses in the nation by season’s end. Now sophomores, T.J. Parker and Peter Woods are expected to wreak havoc off the edges after combining for 30 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 15 tackles for loss. The relatively inexperienced linebacker corps will once again be led by anchor Barrett Carter, with highly touted options Kobe McLoud and Wade Woodaz looking to make names for themselves as more reps become available. Rounding it all out is a secondary that looks poised to be the unit’s strength this year. Though Andrew Mukuba bolted for Texas, the safety positions are still in great shape with veterans Khalil Barnes and R.J. Mickens available to help the green cornerbacks find their footing. Clemson’s pass defense was a top-10 unit last year, allowing just over 173 yards per game and a minuscule 5.7 yards per pass attempt (No. 5). Though the unit only returns two starters from last year’s eighth-ranked defense, many of the players stepping in got plenty of burn. If the offense continues to struggle, it will be up to this side of the ball to lead the charge until they figure it out.
A Case for the Under: Though the Tigers' offense produced over 400 yards and 30 points per game, the unit was extremely inconsistent overall and proved to be severely lacking in the lethality department. Under then-sophomore Cade Klubnik, the offense was held to 20 or fewer points five times and ranked as a league-average passing attack (No. 61). He averaged a paltry 6.3 yards per pass attempt and was sacked 2.3 times per game (No. 78), working behind an offensive line that was porous in pass protection and couldn’t consistently open holes for the running game. Tristan Leigh and Blake Miller return at both tackle positions, but the interior of the line will need to be reworked if RB Phil Mafah is to build upon his junior campaign that resulted in 965 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. The receiving corps was underwhelming last season, and Tyler Brown is the only pass catcher returning that went for more than 500 yards receiving. If the freshman crop or new insertions aren’t able to make an impact, it’ll likely be another season of the passing game obnoxiously dinking and dunking its way up the field. If the ground game once again leads the offense with the passing attack unable to make significant plays downfield, it’ll be a major uphill climb for the Tigers to tally 10 wins and exceed their win total expectations.
2024-25 Clemson Tigers Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Aug 31 | vs. Georgia |
| Sep 7 | vs. Appalachian State |
| Sep 14 | OFF |
| Sep 21 | vs. NC State |
| Sep 28 | vs. Stanford |
| Oct 5 | at Florida State |
| Oct 12 | at Wake Forest |
| Oct 19 | vs. Virginia |
| Oct 26 | OFF |
| Nov 2 | vs. Louisville |
| Nov 9 | at Virginia Tech |
| Nov 16 | at Pittsburgh |
| Nov 23 | vs. The Citadel |
| Nov 30 | vs. South Carolina |
Swinney has been steadfast in expressing his disapproval of the transfer portal. I get it. He’s cut from an old-school cloth that prefers to build championship-caliber teams from the ground up. Times change, however, and if you don’t adapt, they might pass you by. Will his decision not to utilize the transfer portal ultimately end his days calling the shots in Death Valley? That remains to be seen. However, the proof is in the pudding, with the program absent from the College Football Playoff each of the last three years and coming off a campaign in which they lost more than two games in ACC play for the first time since the 2010 season. Already installed as near two-touchdown underdogs to Georgia in the season opener, it’s likely the Tigers will need to win 10 of their final 11 games to exceed their current 9-game win total at the online sportsbook. With trips to Tallahassee and Blacksburg on the docket, I’d be both surprised and impressed if this year’s edition can pull off that feat. With that, I’m fading Dabo and believe this will be the final year the boosters and fan base allow him to bypass the portal moving forward.
College Football Win Total Prediction: Clemson Tigers Under 9 Wins
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