Auburn Tigers vs. Clemson Tigers: Odds, Analysis, College Football Betting Pick

Clemson is 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread over its last six meetings with members of the SEC, including that stunning win/cover against Alabama in last year's national championship game.

The Tigers tangle with another SEC outfit when they host Auburn in an interesting early-season non-conference bout Saturday night at Death Valley.

College football point spread: The Tigers opened as nine-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 38.6-35.4 Clemson Tigers (College football picks on every game)

Why the Auburn Tigers can cover the spread

Auburn opened this season with a 41-7 victory over Georgia Southern, pushing the spread as a 34-point favorite.

The Tigers led 10-0 out of the gate, 24-7 at the half and by 34 with nine minutes to go, before taking their foot off the gas. And the only touchdown they gave the Eagles all day came on a fumble return.

Auburn outgained Georgia Southern by a whopping 538-78 margin, outrushed the Eagles 354-70 and allowed just four pass completions for eight yards.

Running backs Kerryon Johnson and Kam Martin, sharing duties with starter Kamryn Pettway on the bench, both ran for 136 yards, while quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

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Auburn just lost to Clemson in last season's opener 19-13 at Jordan-Hare Stadium but held that Clemson offense 100 yards below its season average and covered at +9.

Why the Clemson Tigers can cover the spread

These Tigers began their national title defense with a 56-3 clubbing of Kent State, covering at -38. Clemson scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and was later able to rest starters by scoring the first touchdown out of halftime for a 35-3 lead.

On the afternoon, the Tigers outgained the Golden Flashes 665-120. Clemson rushed for 353 yards and threw for 312. Junior Kelly Bryant, in his first start trying to replace legendary quarterback Deshaun Watson, accounted for 313 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. And the Clemson defense limited Kent State to 2.4 yards per play and just one pass completion for one total yard.

As mentioned above, Clemson just beat Auburn last year 19-13. And while it wasn't one of their greater efforts of last season, they outgained Auburn 399-262 and only gave up the cover at -9 when they allowed a touchdown with just three minutes left to go.

Smart pick

These teams played a relatively close game last year, and Auburn is a better team now than then. Also, Pettway was a coach's decision to sit out last week, but word is he'll play this week.

Yes, Death Valley is a tough place to play, but the smart money here at sports betting sites probably resides with the underdog plus the points.

College football betting trends

The total has gone under in five of Clemson's last six games against Auburn.

The total has gone under in Auburn's last six games.

Auburn is 4-1 ATS in its last five games on the road.

All college football odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.