Miami Hurricanes at Clemson Tigers Betting Preview

We’ll see just how good the Miami Hurricanes are this Saturday. Miami has started the season strong, moving to No. 7 in the AP Poll after three convincing wins, but now the Hurricanes will face their toughest test of the season. The Clemson Tigers have ruled the ACC with an iron grip over the last five years. Clemson was a massive favorite to win the ACC once more at the start of the 2020 campaign with odds of -600, and the Tigers are being given their due respect by the oddsmakers.

College Football Betting Odds

Miami +14

Clemson -14

Total 62.5

The Hurricanes were in a similar situation three years ago. Miami started the season 10-0 and rose to No. 2 in the AP Poll after dismantling Virginia Tech and Notre Dame in consecutive weeks. They faced Clemson in the ACC Championship Game with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line, and they were outclassed from the opening kickoff. Clemson hammered Miami 38-3, showing that the Hurricanes had not regained their swagger.

Clemson Offense vs. Miami Defense

Clemson has two Heisman Trophy favorites on offense in Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. Lawrence has been the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft since leading the Tigers to a national championship as a freshman. He took the Tigers back to the national championship game last season, and his presence is why Clemson is favored to make its sixth straight trip to the College Football Playoff.

Lawrence has yet to be tested in Clemson’s 3-0 start. He has completed 73.3 percent of his passes and is averaging 11.3 YPA with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. His top three receivers (Amari Rodgers, Frank Ladson Jr., and Travis Etienne) are all averaging at least 17.2 YPC, and Lawrence has yet to really air it out despite the gaudy numbers.

Etienne has 48 touches for 415 yards with a touchdown on the year, yet he has not been unwrapped yet either. Clemson is so talented that Dabo Swinney hasn’t been playing his starters long and isn’t opening too much of the playbook, allowing younger players the opportunity to see plenty of action.

The Hurricanes have typically had a great defense since Manny Diaz became the defensive coordinator in 2016. They ranked ninth in defensive SP+ last year, and Miami currently is rated sixth by that metric this year. However, Louisville and Florida State do not look to be as good as they were expected to be prior to the start of the season, and Clemson’s talent is on a whole different level.

Miami Offense vs. Clemson Defense

The biggest problem for Miami over the last five years has been the lack of a quarterback. Several signal callers have been heralded as the savior for this program, but no one has really stepped up and made an impact.

D’Eriq King is looking to change all that. King was the most heralded grad transfer prior to the start of this season, as he shined at Houston before entering the portal. He has looked the part through the first three games of this year, completing 67 percent of his passes for 7.8 YPA with six touchdowns and no interceptions. His ability to make things happen with his legs has been big too, and King is averaging 5.6 YPC with just three sacks.

Miami is averaging 6.6 yards per play, and the ground game has done a good job keeping the Hurricanes ahead of schedule. The Hurricanes are averaging 5.9 YPC as a team, and leading rusher Cam’Ron Harris has been a home run hitter with 8.2 YPC thanks to runs of 66 and 75 yards against UAB and Louisville.

The Tigers have generally had even better defenses than Miami though. Brent Venables is the best defensive coordinator in the nation, and Clemson recruits at such a level that they don’t have to rebuild, just reload. They are currently rated fourth in defensive SP+.

Prediction

This won’t be close. Miami is being gassed up due to victories over two subpar teams, but Clemson is so much better than anyone else in the ACC. Lawrence and Etienne will tear Miami’s defense apart in a blowout victory.

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