No longer ranked and off to a 1-2 start, the Clemson Tigers are still a large favorite against the Syracuse Orange on Saturday at noon inside Memorial Stadium.
Dabo Swinney’s squad hasn’t covered a spread this season, and they’ll need an effort they haven’t shown in 2025 to get past the 17.5-point line at DraftKings. FanDuel lists Clemson at -16.5 heading into kickoff.
With that big of a spread, winning should be a formality. Clemson’s implied odds, based on the -850 moneyline, to win the game are nearly 90%. However, winning hasn’t been easy for the Tigers. They lost by a touchdown to a strong LSU team, needed a 13-point second-half rally to beat Troy by 11, and then lost on a last-second field goal at Georgia Tech last week.
The Orange covered a 36.5-point spread last week against Colgate, pushed on a touchdown win over UConn, and failed to stay under a 14-point line in a Week 1 loss to Tennessee.
Spread history
The line hasn’t really moved since Clemson opened as a favorite in the 16.5 to 17.5 range. There was a brief drop at some sportsbooks to 15.5 on Friday, but the spread shot back up to around 17.
None of the major U.S. sportsbooks has the line lower than FanDuel’s 16.5.
Betting insights
Despite much line movement, DraftKings has seen 65% of the bets placed in the game on Syracuse, but the Orange have received a tighter split with 52% of the money wagered. ESPN BET reported on Friday that Syracuse +17.5 is among the 10 most-bet spreads this week.
The Tigers are getting 72% of the moneyline handle, meaning 28% of the money in that market is on an outright upset by Syracuse. However, the bet percentage is overwhelmingly in Clemson’s favor, as the home team is likely a leg in many parlays.
DraftKings also has the total set at 54.5 and is getting 69% of the money coming in on the over.
Betting analysis
Such a stagnant line suggests that oddsmakers really think this game is going to be around 17 points. The reluctance of sportsbooks to move the spread below 17 points to that, despite seemingly more money coming in on a Syracuse team that’s at least covered a spread this season.
Clemson has not shown up in these spots, failing to cover as a 10-point or higher favorite in five of the last seven times (dating back to last season) that they’ve had a double-digit line. Also, Syracuse has covered five of the last seven in the series, with all five covers against Clemson coming as a double-digit underdog.
Best bet (0-3)
This spread is hard to take, which is likely why the line hasn’t done much. There aren’t many reasons to believe in Clemson right now, so why are they such a big favorite? Oddsmakers think they’re way better than Syracuse, and the market hasn’t shifted that view, but it’s just too many points to trust Clemson, which could just as easily be in a dog fight as it could wake up and win by 20-plus.
The best bets haven’t gone well, obviously. Just look at the record above. But with receiver Antonio Williams listed as “probable” this week, it’s going to be a huge lift for the offense. He’s the best pass catcher on the team and Cade Klubnik’s most trusted target. If he plays, Clemson is going to utilize him a lot. There’s a chance of re-injury and rust, but if Williams is on the field, the best bet is his over 52.5 receiving yards at FanDuel.