Clemson Tigers vs Syracuse Orange: Odds, Analysis, College Football Betting Pick
The Clemson Tigers own a 12-game road winning streak, but they're only 6-6 against the spread over that run, playing against some stiff numbers.
The Tigers are lined as heavy road favorites for their tangle with the Syracuse Orange on Friday night at the Carrier Dome.
College football point spread: The Tigers opened as 21.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 49.2-14.0 Tigers (College football picks on every game)
Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more picks and a breakdown of this week's top sports betting news.
Why the Clemson Tigers can cover the spread
The national champs are 6-0 on the season, 4-2 ATS, following their 28-14 win over Wake Forest last week.
The Tigers drove their opening possession 75 yards to a touchdown and then drove their second possession 76 yards to another score. Clemson eventually led 28-0 before letting the Demon Deacons score twice in the last nine minutes, although that cost them the cover against a 21-point spread.
On the day, the Tigers outgained Wake Forest 453-336 and won time of possession by a 35/25 split. And almost half the yardage the Clemson defense gave up came on Wake Forest's last two drives of the game.
That Tigers' stop unit now ranks eighth in the country, allowing just 264 yards per game.
Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant—who's doing a fine job filling the big shoes left by Deshaun Watson—left last week's game in the third quarter with an ankle injury, but early reports indicate he will play Friday.
Why the Syracuse Orange can cover the spread
The Orange just snapped a two-game losing streak with a much-needed 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh last week.
Syracuse trailed the Panthers 13-10 in the third quarter but then scored on four straight possessions to take control on its way toward leveling its record at 3-3.
For the day, the Orange outgained Pitt 500-358 and won time of possession by a 35/25 margin. Quarterback Eric Dungey led the way, hitting on 33 of 49 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns, so he's now thrown for 750 yards the last two weeks. Meanwhile, the Syracuse defense held the Panthers to a 3-for-13 performance on third downs.
Two weeks ago, Syracuse fell down to a pretty good North Carolina State team in Raleigh 26-7 at the half but rallied to within one score at 33-25. They couldn't complete the comeback, but they did cover as 14-point dogs.
And just before that, Syracuse fell down at Louisville 28-10, rallied to within 28-26 before losing 35-26 but covered easily getting 21 points.
Smart pick
The Tigers are 4-0 against the Orange over the last four seasons, winning those games by an average score of 39-12.
And even though Syracuse has the ability to rally, they'll find that tough to do against this Clemson defense.
Smart money here at sports betting sites rides the Tigers.
College football betting trends
The total has gone under in four of Clemson's last five games against Syracuse.
The total has gone under in 11 of Syracuse's last 13 games.
Clemson is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games against its conference.
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.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
