ACC Championship Lines & Preview: Clemson vs. Miami

Saturday night’s ACC Championship between Clemson and Miami will likely result in the winner heading to the College Football Playoff and the loser heading to a New Year’s Day bowl game. Both of these teams have taken a bad loss, as Clemson went up to Syracuse and laid a Friday night egg back in October, and Miami lost at Pittsburgh last week, leaving both teams with a 7-1 record in ACC play. Clemson comes in with the momentum of a 34-10 shellacking of South Carolina last week. The two teams have not met since 2015, when Clemson went down to Miami and delivered a 58-0 rout. Before you lock in your college football lines for the weekend, check out our preview of this matchup.

ACC Championship Lines & Preview: Clemson vs. Miami

When: Saturday, December 2, 2017, 8:00pm ET Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC TV: ABC Radio: Stanford Cardinal Sports Network / USC Trojans Radio Network Live Stream: WatchESPN ACC Championship Odds: Clemson (-9.5), O/U 46.5

Weather Forecast

• Overcast: 8^°C/46^°F
• Humidity: 85%
• Precipitation: 24%
• Wind: 3 mph SE
• Cloud Cover: 80%
• Type of Stadium: N/A

Why should you bet on the Tigers?

Clemson has raised their game since that three-point setback at Syracuse, winning five straight by an average margin of 24 points per game. The defense was the real story against South Carolina, as the Tigers permitted only 207 yards of total offense. Over their last three games, Clemson’s defense has only permitted a combined 27 points and 213 yards per game. That lockdown defense has been one of the biggest reasons why Clemson has remained in the national title chase so far this season. They have permitted just 13.6 points per game, ranking fourth among FBS programs. Clemson’s offense has not suffered a dropoff with the departure of Deshaun Watson to the NFL. Kelly Bryant has filled Watson’s shoes quite nicely, completing 66.4% of his passes for 2,426 yards, throwing a dozen touchdown passes against six interceptions. Bryant has done more with his legs than Watson did, running for 639 yards and ten more touchdowns. Against the Gamecocks, he went 23 for 34 for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns (and an interception).

Why should you put your money on the Hurricanes?

There have been a lot of people doubting Miami this season, particularly in the first half of the season, as they had to fight their way to wins against some unimpressive competition. They delivered a massive rout of Notre Dame, vaulting themselves into the top four of the CFP committee standings — only to plummet out after that loss to Pitt. Malik Rosier has had a decent season this year, completing 55.2% of his passes and rolling up 2,798 passing yards, throwing 25 touchdowns against just nine picks. However, against Pitt, he went just 15 for 34 for 187 yards. He will need to revert to earlier form if the Hurricanes are to have a chance against Clemson. The Miami defense played reasonably well against Pitt, permitting just 345 total yards of offense to the Panthers. However, Clemson’s run-first offense is considerably more dynamic than Pitt’s, and Miami will need to get more shutdown plays against the Tigers than they did last week. Miami has only permitted 18.3 points per game, which ranks them #15 among FBS programs, and they will need all of that defensive prowess against Clemson.

Latest ACC Championship Betting Trends

• Miami is 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games
• Miami is 15-1 SU in the last 16 games
• The total went UNDER in 8 of Miami-FL’s last 9 games
• Clemson is 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
• Clemson is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games when playing Miami
• The total went OVER in 4 of Clemson’s last 5 games when playing Miami

Expert ACC Championship Pick and Final Prediction

Neutral site games have been a struggle for Miami as of late, as they have covered the spread just once in their last seven contests in neutral stadiums. In contrast, Clemson has covered the spread in nine of their last ten neutral-site contests. The Tigers have the experience of big-time games in recent years, having played in the last two national championship games and having won two straight ACC Championship games. This will not be the rout that Clemson delivered against Miami two years ago, but I see Clemson winning — and covering — with a final score of 34-20.