For the second week in a row, the Stanford Cardinal are going on the road as underdogs in a cross-country ACC matchup. The Clemson Tigers are coming off of back-to-back offensive explosions, looking to continue the newfound success on that side of the ball.
After losing to Georgia in the opener, Clemson’s path to the College Football Playoff likely runs through an automatic bid via winning the ACC Championship, so every game matters.
Can the Cardinal pull off a second straight road upset, or is the Tigers’ offense real? Get the latest info before betting in our Stanford vs. Clemson prediction, including picks against the spread and total.
Stanford vs. Clemson Betting Preview
All Stanford vs. Clemson odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
- Spread
Clemson -22 - Moneyline
Clemson -1800, Stanford +1000 - Over/Under
57.5 points - Game Time
Saturday, Sept. 28, 7:00 p.m. ET - Location
Memorial Stadium | Clemson, S.C. - Predicted Weather at Kick
76 degrees, cloudy - How To Watch
ESPN
Clemson opened as a 20.5-point favorite, and that has slowly ticked up, past the important number of 21, to its current spot at -22. I’d expect that to tick up another point or point and a half over the course of the week before stabilizing around 23 or 23.5.
MORE: CFN Betting Parlay Calculator
The same can be said for the total, which opened at 55.5 and has moved to 57.5 since Sunday afternoon. That would have been unheard of just two weeks ago, but after Clemson put up over 50 points in back-to-back games, the public is backing the Tiger offense.
The Tigers and Cardinal are each 2-1 against the spread this year — though the Tigers have been more dramatically positive the last two weeks while Stanford finished Weeks 1 and 2 just half a point off from the spread. The Tigers are 2-1 to the over while the Cardinal are 2-1 to the under.
Prediction for Stanford vs. Clemson
This game comes down to whether or not you personally believe the Clemson offense has turned a corner. There have been some message board rumors that Dabo Swinney finally took his hands off the wheel on offense and fully ceded control to offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, but nothing has come from any reliable source there.
If you think the Tigers can put up 50 again, you should hammer the over and lean toward Clemson, as Stanford likely won’t be able to keep the score close if the Clemson offense goes off for a third straight game.
There is an argument to the contrary though. That argument is based on what Clemson’s recent opponents have done elsewhere on their schedules.
NC State gave up 59 to the Tigers but also struggled against Louisiana Tech and FCS Western Carolina. Appalachian State was completely outclassed by previously 1-2 South Alabama, allowing 320 rushing yards in the process.
I wrote about the Clemson offense Saturday, essentially concluding that the Tigers won’t average 50 points a game for the rest of the season but that it probably won’t matter.
Stanford presents a more difficult challenge for the Tigers than the reeling Mountaineer and Wolfpack defenses, so I don’t expect the Tigers to reach 50 or even 40. For what it’s worth, the implied total for Clemson based on Vegas’ opening lines was about 38 points.
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That feels about right. The question here is whether Stanford can challenge the Clemson defense. NC State was able to hit a few 1-on-1 shots to its talented receivers, even with a true freshman at quarterback. I think Stanford can catch the Tigers on the back end.
Ashton Daniels and Elic Ayomanor have the rapport to expose some of Clemson’s weaknesses in the secondary. This won’t be a Stanford-Colorado 2.0 situation, so don’t expect Ayomanor to single-handedly will the Cardinal to victory, but he can make a play or two to keep it close.
Stanford really surprised me and most of the country with an upset win in its ACC debut against Syracuse last week, but don’t expect a repeat against a better orange ACC team. If you’re on the Tigers, get in early, because I disagree a bit with this line movement. As of now, I think Vegas has this one pegged almost perfectly. In my opinion, this might be one to stay away from as there are better games to bet on the slate.
I like some Phil Mafah overs as well as Daniels’ rushing yards props, but the books know what they’re doing here. As it currently stands, I have Stanford squeaking out a cover while the over just narrowly hits.
Prediction: Clemson 38, Stanford 20
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