Clemson Football opens as 6-point favorites over Miami
Will Clemson football secure their third straight ACC Championship or will Miami finally win a conference title this weekend?
Dabo Swinney has guided Clemson back to the ACC title game once again. The Tigers were able to right the ship after losing to Syracuse on the road in week seven. Despite the slip up, all of Clemson’s goals are within reach with a win over Miami this weekend.
The Hurricanes are flourishing under second year head coach, Mark Richt. Though they are a year ahead of schedule in my opinion, Miami has a chance to win their first ACC Championship, while also securing a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Hurricanes turned in a pedestrian performance against Pitt last week, losing 24-14. This is likely why Clemson enters the title bought as 6-point favorites, according to Sportsbookreview.com.
Thoughts
This game promises to be a defensive battle for the ages. Clemson enters the week ranked 6th in the nation in total defense and 4th in scoring defense, allowing just 13.6 points per game. Miami on the other hand, ranks 41st in total defense and 18th in scoring defense, allowing 18.3 points per game.
While Miami may give up more yards per contest than Clemson, they are causing takeaways at an alarming clip. The Hurricanes rank 4th in the country takeaways with 29 on the year. The Tigers just haven’t been able to force turnovers this season.
This is an interesting battle to keep an eye on. More often than not, the team who wins the turnover battle wins the game. Clemson is sitting at +3 in turnover margin, compared to Miami’s +17. Kelly Bryant and the Tigers offense must take care of the football in this one.
Overall this game looks to be a tight matchup. It’ll be interesting to see how co-offensive coordinators, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott plan to attack this Miami defense early on. This Clemson offense is most effective when Kelly Bryant gets things going on the ground.
Next: Where will Clemson be in the latest CFB Playoff poll?
After watching the ‘Canes completely dismantle Notre Dame’s powerful rushing attack, I’m not sure how effective Bryant will be with his legs. Clemson can’t run the risk of becoming one-dimensional against this opportunistic Miami defense.