It did not take long for the oddsmakers to adjust accordingly. When the betting line for Clemson at Cal first opened over the weekend, the Golden Bears were a slight 1.5-point home favorite over the visiting Tigers. With both teams 2-1 (1-0) on the young season, this did make sense. Cal is the home team, and it will be a late-night kick for Clemson under the bright lights of Berkeley on a Friday night.
However, the odds have shifted massively in Clemson's favor as of Tuesday afternoon. According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, Clemson is now laying 1.5 points to Cal as the road favorite. As expected, the moneylines for both teams are -110, meaning you would need to bet $110 on either team to net $100. The projected point total has gone up a full point as well, from 49.5 to 50.5 combined points.
With Clemson now projected to beat Cal by a final score of Clemson 26, Cal 24.5, we have to wonder what the driving force is behind the three-point swing. It might be more on Clemson fans betting the Tigers to win and cover than anything. As a result, it has shifted the over/under total up a point, with so many people wagering on the over. It is all about getting even money on both sides, but this is so odd.
Clemson should keep playing like the underdog even when they aren't
Even if the odds have changed, Clemson must still embrace the underdog mentality to come out of Berkeley with a late Friday night road win. This is the first time Clemson will be playing a conference game on the West Coast since Cal, SMU, and Stanford joined the league. With it being a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff time, this is truly untrodden territory to be had for the Tigers. This should be serving Cal, right?
Well, you cannot tell someone what to do with their money. Clearly, Cal at -1.5 was too enticing for Clemson bettors to not jump all over it. While we do see line changes all the time, one of this size and magnitude is a bit shocking, to say the least. It just goes to show that even if the roles have changed on paper does not mean they will on the field of play. So much is at stake in this game for the Tigers.
In the event that Clemson beats Cal, that might set up another nighttime kick for the Tigers. With the Miami at Clemson kickoff time still left to be decided, all eyes will be on this Friday night game at Cal. A win, or even a close loss, for Clemson may result in the Tigers playing the Hurricanes in primetime. Otherwise, we could be looking at North Carolina hosting Notre Dame under the bright lights instead.
Weirdly, all the pressure is now on Clemson in this game. The Tigers are the bigger brand and are now the road favorite. To be quite frank, more will be made about what Clemson does or does not do in this game than about Cal. With the Golden Bears having the more experienced quarterback in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, over Clemson's Tait Reynolds, do not be shocked if he is their difference-maker.
The only way Clemson comes out of Cal with a huge road win in ACC play is by keeping its head small.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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