Clemson Tigers vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack Betting Odds, Football Pick

Clemson owns 10 wins in its last 11 meetings with North Carolina State, but the Wolfpack are 4-1 against the spread in the last five, cashing in as underdogs three times, as well as an outright upset. The teams take up their familiar roles for Saturday's homecoming date in Raleigh.

Point spread: The Tigers opened as 9.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 36.2-31.8 Tigers

Why the Clemson Tigers can cover the spread

The Tigers are suddenly a very hot item, with seven straight wins to start this season, including a 58-0 manhandling of Miami last week. Clemson scored less than three minutes into the game, led 21-0 after one quarter and 42-0 at the half, cruising to an easy cover as 10-point favorites on the road.

The Tigers outgained the Hurricanes 567-146, piled up 416 yards on the ground, and rightly could be held at least partially responsible for getting Miami head coach Al Golden fired.

Two weeks ago, Clemson beat Boston College 34-17, outgaining the Eagles by almost 300 yards. Just before that it knocked off Georgia Tech 43-24, outgaining the Yellow Jackets by more than 300 yards. With their perfect start the Tigers have played themselves into The Conversation.

Why the North Carolina State Wolfpack can cover the spread

North Carolina State started this season with four straight wins, then lost consecutive close games to Louisville and Virginia Tech, but found its way back to the winning track last week with a 35-17 victory at Wake Forest. The Pack ran out to a 28-0 first-quarter lead and coasted from there, eventually outgaining the Demon Deacons 475-271, outrushing them 248-149, covering as nine-point road favorites.

On the season North Carolina State has now outgained and outrushed five of seven opponents. The Wolfpack are averaging 212 yards per game on the ground, while allowing just 107. And that's just the kind of opponent that could give Clemson a headache.

Smart pick

The Tigers are riding high after last week's blowout, while North Carolina State is rather quietly putting together a pretty good team itself. And this is the Wolfpack's chance at a signature victory for head coach Dave Doeren. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson will be a handful, but the smart choice here is with the homecoming underdog.

Betting trends

North Carolina State is 8-2 SU and ATS in its last 10 games.

Clemson is 10-0 SU in its last 10 games.

Clemson is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games in October.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.