Sure, the top-ranked Clemson Tigers may have gotten overwhelmed in last season’s national championship game by Joe Burrow and the explosive LSU Tigers, but the big question for college football betting enthusiasts as we move further into the 2020 regular season, is whether Dabo Swinney’s perennially-powerful program can – and will – win it all this season. Let’s take an in-depth look at the Tigers and whether or not they can bring home the proverbial bacon so you can plan ahead your bets against their NCAAF odds.
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Clemson went a perfect 13-0 last season while going 10-3 ATS for college football betting enthusiasts. The Tigers finished the 2019 campaign ranked third in total offense (547.7 ypg), 20th in passing (294.8 ypg), 10th in rushing (252.9 ypg) and fourth in scoring (46.5 ppg). As good as the Tigers were on offense, they were even better on defense in finishing 2019 ranked first in total defense (244,7 ypg), first against the pass (138.5 ypg), ninth against the run (106.2 ypg) and first in fewest points allowed (10.6 ppg).
While the Tigers saw a handful of stars bolt for the NFL draft, including star linebacker Isaiah Simmons (8th), cornerback AJ Terrell (16th) and wide receiver Tee Higgins (33rd), head coach Dabo Swinney has been extremely successful in replacing his stars each and every year. In 13 seasons at Clemson, Swinney has compiled a stellar 131-31 record (.809), The Tigers have won 10 games or more in nine straight seasons while winning 14 games or more in four of the last five seasons. The Tigers have reached the College Football Playoff in all five years of its existence with four appearances in the national championship game and two victories in the national championship game.
While those numbers are highly impressive, they don’t really play into Clemson’s chances of winning it all this season, but what does come into play is the fact that the Tigers are loaded again, and if they did have to make a handful of replacements on both sides of the ball. Clemson returns superstar signal-caller Trevor Lawrence this season and that alone, will likely be good enough to help the Tigers reach the CFP in this year’s coronavirus campaign. All Lawrence has done in three years as the starter is go a mind-boggling 41-3 with one national championship. Lawrence led Clemson to an undefeated season in 2-18 (15-0) while suffering just one loss last season (14-1).
Lawrence has thrown for 7,296 yards with 67 TD passes and 12 interceptions while completing 66.0 percent of his passes. In addition to Lawrence, the Tigers also have their two-time ACC Player of the Year (2018, 2019) back in senior running back Travis Etienne, The elusive ball-carrier has rushed for over 1,600 yards in each of the last two seasons while recoding a whopping 57 career rushing touchdowns, including 43 over the last two seasons.
Yes, the Tigers do have some questions they’ll need to answer as the 2020 season moves along, but the short answer as to whether the Tigers can get back to being national champs this season is an unequivocal yes!
Every other legitimate title contender has their own question marks, with several having new starters at the game’s most important position – quarterback (Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU). Until I see otherwise, not only can the Tigers get back to being national champions this season, but they’re the true favorites to do just that!
