After failing to cover the spread the last two weeks, the Clemson Tigers find themselves in a peculiar spot with the betting odds heading into Week 3. FanDuel Sportsbook has Clemson opening as a 5.5-point home favorite over the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina has yet to lose a game this season, while Clemson did not cover the 10.5 at LSU or the 19.5 versus Georgia Southern.
Clemson has only averaged 16 points per game so far this year, but that did not stop the oddsmakers from giving the Tigers a moneyline of -205 and North Carolina one of +168. It means you would need to bet $205 on Clemson to win $100, while a $100 bet on North Carolina would net you $168. With a combined point total of 45.5 points, Clemson is projected to beat UNC by something like 25.5 to 20.
In short, this puts even more pressure on Clemson to keep the moderately good vibes going versus North Carolina. Keep in mind that a Bill Belichick-led Tar Heels team is coming to town with a great deal of momentum. Entering this season, UNC was seen as arguably the most winnable game in ACC play for the Tigers. At this time, Clemson cannot afford to play with its food if it wants to win this one.
Bill Belichick must be licking his chops after seeing Clemson-UNC odds
If we saw anything positive from Saturday night's 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern that was positive, it starts with Tom Allen's defense coming together when the team needed it most. While the special teams unit also played strong under Rich Bisaccia, Chad Morris' offense was stuck in neutral. It did not help that true freshman Tait Reynolds had to play all but three offensive series for the Tigers.
So follow along with this. Belichick will have a week to prepare against one of the worst passing offenses in the ACC. Whether North Carolina is going up against a true freshman in Reynolds or an underwhelming fourth-year player in Christopher Vizzina, who had to exit Week 2's game with an injury, the greatest head coach in NFL history has to be licking his chops. This one feels dangerous.
For Clemson to get a winning streak going, it must lean on Allen's defense and hope Will Heldt can get a pass rush going coming off the edge. Nolan Hauser has to make all his kicks once again. More importantly, Morris needs to prove to everyone that Dabo Swinney did not make a mistake in re-hiring him. Devising a plan of attack that features Reynolds' strengths might be what saves Clemson here.
Right now, this upcoming home game versus North Carolina feels like one the entire Clemson season is hinging on. If the Tigers can hold serve at home, they might be able to win on the road at Cal on a Friday night in two weeks. If North Carolina gets the best of Clemson, then we could be looking at a team with a 1-4 record after the Miami home game and heading into the Charleston Southern game.
Clemson being a slight favorite over North Carolina shows everyone just how close this game may be.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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