The Clemson Tigers enter the 2020-21 college football betting season the No. 1 ranked team in the land. How could they not be considering how consistent Dabo Swinney’s kids have been over the last handful of seasons? The College Football Playoffs have seen the Tigers a part of the action each of the last five seasons. On top of that, Clemson logged four national title game berths and took home a pair of national championships in the process. Dave Clawson has been able to get the most out of his players throughout his stay in Winston-Salem, but he will earn his paycheck this season with a multitude of players from last year’s Pinstripe Bowl team having since departed. With COVID-19 limiting the amount of practice prep Wake Forest had to break in the new faces, this Week 2 battle against Clemson is going to be an uphill battle evidenced by the hefty 33-point spread and 60-point O/U.
Watch this Week 2 matchup on Saturday, September 12, 2020, at 7:30 p.m. ET from Truist Field.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Clemson -33
Wake Forest +33
Over/Under 60
Odds Analysis
Clemson hit the board as decided 31-point favorites. The betting markets didn’t believe the impost to be correct, so that number now sits at -33 with upwards of 70 percent of the betting handle of the belief the Tigers wax the Demon Deacons much like they have each of the last two seasons. Neither game was competitive with Clemson securing impressive 52-3 and 63-3 wins to easily cover the closing CFB odds in both contests. Clemson has flat-out owned this Atlantic Division rivalry since the turn of the century coming out on top in 17 of the 20 overall confrontations. Dating back to 2013, Clemson has laid an average of 25.5-points, but only stands 3-4 ATS in those matchups. The O/U hasn’t moved off 60 since hitting the board.
Injury Report
Though DL Xavier Thomas and WR Justyn Ross won’t be suiting up for a single game this season, Clemson’s injury list looks pretty good heading into the opening game of the season. Both WR Amari Rodgers and DB Mario Goodrich are listed as probable with the former’s undisclosed injury on the mend and the latter’s ankle injury no longer a concern. As for the Deacs, there isn’t a single player listed on the injury report which is a bonus for Dave Clawson considering how up against it his kids are in the season opener.
Matchup to Watch
Per usual, Clemson is absolutely loaded with playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Trevor Lawrence is back under center looking to improve upon his sophomore campaign that saw him throw for over 3,100 yards and a 34:8 TD/INT ratio; he didn’t throw a single pick over his final eight games! RB Travis Etienne decided to come back to school for his senior campaign, so 1,400+ rushing yards and another 20 touchdowns are comfortably situated in the backfield. With Ross out of the equation, Amari Rodgers will be the primary weapon of the wide receiver corps. TE Braden Galloway will also lend a major hand after serving a season-long suspension. But to make it all work, Clemson must replace four starters along the offensive line which could see the unit struggle to fire on all cylinders initially; especially with the defensive line the lone strength of the Deacs stop unit with NFL prospect Carlos Basham Jr. leading the charge.
Free ATS Pick
This matchup hasn’t been anywhere close to competitive since Lawrence took over the QB1 reigns back in 2018. His first collegiate start came against Wake Forest and he catapulted himself into the Heisman Trophy discussions by ripping the Demon Deacons for 175 passing yards and 2 TD while completing 20-of-25 passes. Last season, he completed nearly 78 percent of his passes for 272 yards and 4 TD! His efficiency was allowed to occur due to Clemson racking up a total of 639 rushing yards in both games. That means both he and Etienne are in for huge debuts provided the offensive line can get back to dominating like in year’s past. With Wake Forest breaking in new players at every level on both sides of the ball, I don’t foresee them being prepared for what’s about to pay them a visit this weekend. Fading inexperienced teams across the board could be a path to riches early on this season.
CFB Pick: Clemson 49, Wake Forest 9
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