3 Reasons to Bet for Clemson to win the College Football Title

So the Clemson Tigers eked out a win at Auburn and played rather precariously in their narrow wins over Louisville, NC State and Florida State, leaving a lot to be desired as a College Football Playoff candidate. So quarterback Deshaun Watson– he of 24 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions on 64.4 percent pass completion– is too turnover-prone to be considered as a legitimate 2016 Heisman Candidate and a dependable leader for the Tigers if they do make it to the playoffs. So the ACC competition is watered down and playing against just two ranked opponents– #3 Louisville and #12 Florida State—doesn’t exactly speak of the national dominance that is required of a CFP candidate. So What!?! Here is the thing about college football you Clemson haters; you can only play the team in front of you and, so far, that’s what the Tigers (9-0, 6-0 ACC) have done to perfection. And if you happen to have a bone to chew with Clemson’s #2 ranking in the latest CFP Polls after Week 10’s games, feel free to serve up that dish to the college football playoff committee that is responsible for the rankings. In the meantime, here are three key reasons you should consider Clemson as your college football betting pick to win the 2016-17 college football championship.

3 Reasons to Bet for Clemson to win the College Football Title

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— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) November 6, 2016

1. Plenty of Experience

The Tigers have one of the most experienced rosters in the nation, returning several starters from last year’s run to the national championship game, including seniors Watson, the team’s top-2 wide receivers Artavis Scott and Mike Williams who’ve combined for 90 receptions this season, and running back Wayne Gallman (634 yards and eight touchdowns), who will be honored in Senior Day when the Clemson plays Pittsburgh this weekend. Clemson’s defense also brings back several starters from the team that narrowly lost to Alabama in last year’s championship game. With playoff contenders like Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan having less-experienced players in their rosters; the experienced Tigers—who are sure to have learnt from last year’s mistakes—should be hotly primed for a strong showing in the playoffs.

2. The Tigers Know How To Win

You can rightfully make a case for the way Clemson has unconvincingly won some of its games this year, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. And as far as winning is concerned, the Tigers are damn good at it. On the season so far, the Tigers are undefeated through nine games, including victories over currently #6 Louisville, #9 Auburn and #18 Florida State. Put into perspective, Clemson, Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State are the only teams in the nation with three-or- more victories over teams currently ranked in the CFP Poll. As if that isn’t enough, the Tigers enter Week 11 with a 23-game winning streak in regular season games to go along with a 21-game home winning streak (the longest home winning streak in the nation) and a 15-game winning streak in the ACC (the second-best conference winning streak in the nation). Including the playoffs, the Tigers have won 26 of their last 27 overall games. That, definitely, is nothing to sniff at. And with such a winning pedigree, trusting Dabo Swinney’s boys to do it all this year should make plenty of betting sense.

3. Favorable Playoff Scenarios

The Tigers are ranked #2 in the latest polls and will probably maintain that slot to the very end of the season, given their remaining soft schedule to conclude the season and a soft conference game against Virginia Tech or North Carolina in the ACC Championship game. A win out should thus be a very strong possibility. And with a #2 or even a #3 placement in the final ranking (assuming Michigan beats Ohio State and wins out to leapfrogs the Tigers in the standings), Clemson would have to play out West in the Fiesta Bowl. It wouldn’t be the best of locations, but the Tigers have the potential to win there, considering the way they’ve played well in neutral and road games over the past two seasons. A better scenario could play out if Alabama somehow loses at least one game before the end of the season. The Tide have been superb, but playing against Auburn in the Iron Bowl could come with an upset, just in the same way the SEC title game could bring forth a shock loss for the defending national champs. It’s a long shot, we know, but stranger things have happened in football, right? In such a scenario, Clemson could move to #1 in the rankings, and that would mean playing in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta; a location that would come with a massive advantage for the Clemson that is located just a short drive away. Clemson’s short proximity to Atlanta would translate into being able to create some sort of home-field advantage with its fans, thus giving them a great fan-base edge in the Peach Bowl.

Conclusion

Everything is circumstantial right now as the season is not yet over, but as has been comprehensively analyzed above, the Tigers certainly look to be in a perfect position to make a strong run in the college football playoff with an alluring possibility of capturing the 2016-16 college football championship. So don’t shy away from banking on the Tigers at their currently affordable National Championship College Football odds.