College Football Odds, Picks for Clemson vs NC State: Expect Close Conference Clash
Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images. Pictured: NC State’s Kevin “KC” Concepcion.
- The Clemson Tigers and NC State Wolfpack meet in Saturday afternoon college football action.
- The Tigers enter as a -9.5 favorite, while the over/under sits at 44 ahead of kickoff.
- Read Mike McNamara's full betting preview and pick for Clemson vs NC State below.
Clemson vs NC State Odds
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 44 -110o / -110u | -375 |
| NC State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 44 -110o / -110u | +280 |
Typically, Clemson against NC State is one of the most important ACC matchups in the conference race. Not this year. Both of these teams enter this one with a sour taste in their respective mouths.
The Tigers are fresh off an overtime loss to Miami last week, which dropped them to 2-3 in conference play and essentially ended any chance of making the ACC Championship game.
Meanwhile in Raleigh, the Wolfpack have had two weeks to sit on the 21-point loss at Duke in a game where the Pack could muster only three points.
Despite these two longtime foes trending in the wrong direction, this is still a rivalry matchup between two opponents who don't like each other.
Additionally, there's a line and a total for this game, and as a result, there's money to be made. Let's discuss where the betting value lies in Saturday afternoon's Clemson vs. NC State college football matchup.
It's been a funky season ever since the opening game against Duke for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.
Clemson turned the ball over three times in its loss in Durham, and that has been a trend that has continued as the year has gone on.
A third-quarter Cade Klubnik fumble that was returned to the house by Florida State was the turning point in the matchup against the Seminoles, and last week, the Tigers had three turnovers in the overtime loss to Miami.
Clemson could easily be better than its 4-3 record, but turnovers and red-zone struggles have caused major issues. Surprisingly enough, the Tigers offense ranks outside the 80 in both Quality Drives and Finishing Drives.
Defensively, Clemson has been rock solid across the board once again.
The Tigers' secondary is elite, and it has done a good job all year of limiting big plays in the passing game.
This is a favorable matchup against a putrid NC State offensive attack, so look for defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin to fire up some blitzes to get the Pack off schedule.
The Brennan Armstrong era in Raleigh did not go according to plan.
The Virginia transfer, who put up some ridiculous numbers in Charlottesville, never looked fully settled within the NC State. offense. The result was a 5:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio through the first five games of the season.
Head coach Dave Doeren decided to make a change, going with MJ Morris under center against Duke. It wasn't pretty for Morris against a stout Blue Devil defense, and quarterback questions remain as a result.
It sounds like Morris will once again get the nod on Saturday afternoon, and it will be interesting to see if the bye week helps him and the offense fix up some of the issues from the Duke game.
On a positive note, NC State ranks inside the top 40 in both Defensive Rush and Pass Success, and that balance has been key to helping the Wolfpack hang around in games.
When Louisville came to town earlier in the year, the Cardinals were held to their lowest output of the season, and quarterback Jack Plummer threw two interceptions.
Klubnik has struggled when he has had to deal with pressure off the edges, and that will be something worth monitoring as the game progresses.
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Clemson and NC State match up statistically:
Clemson Offense vs. NC State Defense
 | Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 27 | 23 | |
| Line Yards | 32 | 20 | |
| Pass Success | 31 | 37 | |
| Havoc | 43 | 41 | |
| Finishing Drives | 85 | 73 | |
| Quality Drives | 85 | 48 |
NC State Offense vs. Clemson Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 32 | 12 | |
| Line Yards | 31 | 43 | |
| Pass Success | 92 | 7 | |
| Havoc | 84 | 8 | |
| Finishing Drives | 52 | 56 | |
| Quality Drives | 85 | 20 |
Pace of Play / Other
| ||
| PFF Tackling | 20 | 17 |
| PFF Coverage | 27 | 121 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 74 | 12 |
| Middle 8 | 47 | 47 |
| Seconds per Play | 24.5 (24) | 27.3 (74) |
| Rush Rate | 50.9% (87) | 51.9% (75) |
Clemson vs NC State
Betting Pick & Prediction
Ultimately, in a game where the total sits at a mere 44 points, I don't have any faith in Clemson to cover a double-digit number on the road.
It hasn't been pretty for the NC State offense, but with two weeks to prepare and more time for Morris to get comfortable running the team, there's reason to believe the Pack can have a little bit of success moving the ball in this spot.
On the other side, expect NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson to have his defense ready to go for Klubnik and company.
If there's one game that Carter-Finley Stadium is always rocking for, it's when Clemson comes to town. Expect the Wolfpack faithful to give the team a bit of a boost and help them hang around all afternoon.
I don't know that the Pack have enough firepower to win this one outright, but they can absolutely do enough to stay within single digits.
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