2016 Clemson Tigers Betting Predictions for Every Game
Posted by Joe Solari on Saturday,August 13, 2016 11:15, EDT in
How far can the Clemson Tigers go in 2016 after recording a flawless regular-season mark and reaching the National Championship game last season? Read on as we take you through a game- by-game college football betting prediction of Clemson’s games in 2016.
Let’s Take a Closer Look at the 2016 Clemson Tigers Betting Predictions for Every Game
Sept. 3 at Auburn
Opening the season on the road at Auburn is never the best of ways to start the season. Fortunately, Auburn has major quarterback issues while Clemson has the all-doing Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson in that position. Defensively, the SEC Tigers should be better than they were last season, but that won’t matter much as Clemson also returns a decent number of players in their D, who should help the new recruits and signees to adjust themselves into real football accordingly. With that, Clemson should be able to start the season 1-0, and most probably doing so in a double-digit victory fashion.
Prediction: Clemson 28, Auburn 17
Sept. 10 vs. Troy
With a number of defensive replacements to make in the team, Clemson’s defensive coordinator Brent Venables will need to get his house in order ASAP in 2016, and this game should providejust the right platform to do so. Troy isn’t explosive, but it has some good offensive talents that could make this game tougher than it looks. But then again, as long as ringleader Watson is fit, this should be a no contest at all to the ferocious Tigers.
Prediction: Clemson 51, Troy 19
Sept. 17 vs. South Carolina State
Expect Clemson to win big again as South Carolina State is still lacking on both sides of the ball, but don’t expect the steamroll to balloon in the region of the 73-7 beatdown handed to South Carolina State last season.
Prediction: Clemson 55, South Carolina State 14
Sept. 22 at Georgia Tech
Why everyone is talking down on Georgia Tech is a mystery to me. Yes, the Yellow Jackets were a disappointing lot in 2015, thanks largely to their shaky defense. With improvements made on that side of the ball and quarterback Justin Thomas having sufficient support in Georgia Tech’s triple-threat offense to help him re-find his vaunted 2014 form, we could easily have an upset in this game. But just to be on the safe side, take the Yellow Jackets for the points while leaning on Watson and Co. to sneak away with the victory.
Prediction: Clemson 35, Georgia Tech 30
Oct. 1 vs. Louisville
For Watson and Clemson to win this game, leading running back Wayne Gallman and Clemson’s solid group of receivers– Mike Williams, Deon Cain, Artavis Scott, Hunter Renfrow and Jordan Leggett– will need to be at the very top of their game. And we saw countlessly last season, these guys are well-talented to get the job done. My worry, though, is that Louisville will be bringing their own dual-threat machine who can match Watson in sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson. This guy not only broke Teddy Bridgewater’s school record in passing yards, but also proved to be a menace on the ground. A good example of was his performance in the Music City Bowl win over Texas A&M, where he went nuts with 227 passing yards and 226 rushing yards, making him just the third QB in NCAAF history to put up 200/200 in a bowl game. Meanwhile, Louisville’s defense is efficient enough to frustrate Watson and his gang. All that being considered; there should be a very decent chance for Louisville to hand Clemson its first defeat of the season in a highly-likely gutsy affair.
Prediction: Louisville 28, Clemson 27
Oct. 7 at Boston College
Boston College is all defense with no offense, and last I checked, Clemson knows how to handle such teams with timely touchdowns and frustrating field goals. Oh, wait, BC lost highly regarded defensive coordinator Don Brown to Michigan, so there won’t be any defense to stop Watson here. And after going winless in the ACC last season, I’d easily bet my house that the Eagles’ returning eight starters in offense (from a BC group that ranked 126th overall in the country in offense last year) won’t be getting anything done here, unless we are talking about getting blown out of the sky.
Prediction: Clemson 44, Boston College 9
Oct. 15 vs. NC State
You remember how NC State fought heartedly in its 56-41 loss to the Tigers last season? Good for you ‘coz there is a good chance you won’t be seeing that happening again. State’s talent is all watered-down now and will be coming off a grueling game against Notre Dame (which they will definitely lose), so having the energy to beat an extra-rested and more talented Clemson team that is 11-1 in the last 12 overall vs. NC State won’t be happening.
Prediction: Clemson 39, NC State 18
Oct. 29 at Florida State
Talented as Watson and his offense is, this game is sure to test the Tigers’ offense to its extreme limits, thanks to stellar talents like Derwin James and Matthew Thomas in Florida State’s defense. Meanwhile, star running back and Heisman candidate Dalvin Cook and the strong FSU offensive line should keep the offense ticking, whether or not whomever starts at QB brings his A-game in the passing front. And with the ACC and a playoff spot likely to be in play here, these two talented ACC powerhouses should be psyched up for a battle that could go either way. Obviously, Clemson won’t go down easily, but with FSU owning a solid record at Tallahassee against the Tigers (Florida State has lost just one home game against Clemson in the last 20 years), I am inclined to lean on the Seminoles for the win here.
Prediction: Florida State 39, Clemson 33
Nov. 5 vs. Syracuse
If the Tigers will be coming off a loss against FSU as predicted above, then expect them to pour out all their anger on Syracuse in a likely blowout. If they will somehow win the FSU game, then expect more of the same big win against the Orange, considering their confidence will be up in the sky and the team will not want to falter in their playoff ambitions. So, either way, this game against the Orange–who’ve lost their last three straight vs. Clemson– should end in a big win for the Tigers.
Prediction: Clemson 38, Syracuse 17
