Early odds show Clemson football as heavier favorite than before vs. ND

Early Vegas odds have Clemson football as a heavier favorite this time around than before against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Clemson football team will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC Championship game next Saturday in Bank of America Stadium.

While there are a few out there who believe Notre Dame might be the better team, Vegas certainly doesn’t agree with that logic.

Despite the Clemson football team losing a road game against the Fighting Irish earlier in the season in double-overtime, the Tigers are a heavier favorite this time around than they were in the previous matchup.

Clemson was considered a 5.5-point favorite over the Irish when the two teams last squared off in South Bend, but the Tigers now open up as a 7.5-point favorite over Notre Dame in the ACC Championship.

There are many reasons why Clemson football is the favorite in this one

Many might be inclined to go with the team that actually won the head-to-head matchup the previous time, but the truth of the matter is that there were extenuating circumstances that put the Tigers behind the eight-ball in the matchup.

As we’ve all heard 1,000 times by now, Clemson was without Trevor Lawrence and the Tigers were without several key defensive starters that all should be available for the ACC Championship game. That makes a difference, especially in a game where the defense clearly wore down due to lack of depth as the game progressed.

In addition, we’re not seeing this one in South Bend. This will be in Charlotte on a neutral field for a game that will be much easier attended by Clemson football fans, simply due to proximity.

While we can expect that line to drop a little bit between now and game time, the overall takeaway is that the Tigers rightfully will be the favorite coming into this one.