The defending national champion Clemson Tigers play their first game after hammering Alabama last January in Santa Clara, California. They enter the season with the highest regular season win total on the board (11.5) and are expected to pummel most of their opponents. That includes Week 1 where they\u2019re a whopping 36-point favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How much will Dabo Swinney\u2019s team be tested in the season opener and can Georgia Tech fight back enough to at least cover?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Yellow Jackets are going to be solid on defense. There has been a regime change at Georgia Tech as Paul Johnson is out and first-year head coach Geoff Collins is in. He\u2019s a former defensive coordinator who did well with the Florida Gators in that capacity. He did well enough as a defensive coordinator to get a head coaching job with Temple where the Owls created a very strong brand of defense. As a team, they improved his national profile to the extent that Georgia Tech sought him as a candidate when Paul Johnson retired from coaching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collins\u2019 2018 defense at Temple picked off 18 passes and recovered 13 fumbles, getting 31 turnovers, one of the higher turnover numbers in the country. If Clemson is rusty or sluggish in its season opener \u2013 which is a natural enough occurrence for any team, even the defending champions \u2013 Georgia Tech will have a good chance of getting turnovers and limiting Clemson\u2019s scoring output. Georgia Tech will likely try to control the ball and run clock, so getting two or three turnovers from Clemson\u2019s offense should be enough to cover the spread in this game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Yellow Jackets rushed for 4,225 yards last year. Why was their total so high? They used a triple-option offense, but that\u2019s gone this season. Former coach Paul Johnson implemented a triple-option attack but now that team \u2013 and offense \u2013 is set for a huge makeover. They recruited a certain kind of athlete for the offense, which requires a very specific skill set from the backs and the offensive linemen. Now that will change. This isn\u2019t a minor renovation; this is a wholesale makeover. They triple-option personnel that will have to transition to a more conventional style of offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clemson has an elite defense and playing at home. They\u2019re in a very good position to smother Georgia Tech\u2019s offense and wear down the Jackets in the third and fourth quarters, making this game a runaway. On the surface, it might seem like covering five touchdowns is a huge number but when you think about the fact that Georgia Tech probably won\u2019t be scoring much \u2013 or moving the ball fluidly \u2013 it becomes clear why the Tigers can cover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re looking at an absolutely massive spread in this spot but that hasn\u2019t scared away bettors. BetOnline.ag opened up Clemson -34<\/a> and they are now up to -35.5 as action has come in on the Tigers to push them above a key number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georgia Tech might get better as the year goes on but this is a really bad spot for them. Their defense isn\u2019t ready for this and even if they can hang for a little bit, the offense won\u2019t be able to collect first downs, move the ball and keep the Clemson offense on the sidelines. Clemson averaged 55.1 points per game in ACC play last year (Scored 49 against Georgia Tech) and should be right around that number once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTigers vs Yellow Jackets Pick: Tigers 52, Yellow Jackets 10<\/h4>\n\n\n\n