The Clemson Tigers are the NCAA football betting favorites to defeat the Syracuse Orange on Saturday, November 5th at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. These are the betting sportsbook odds for the game:
Syracuse +26 (-110) 61½ (-110) +2000
Clemson -26 (-110) 61½ (-110) -4000
The Orange (4-4) won two games in a row before going on bye, the latest one being a 28-20 win over the Boston College Eagles. Syracuse QB Eric Dungey went 32 of 38 for 434 yards with three TDs and one interception, and ran for 54 yards on 17 carries, while wide receiver Ervin Phillips ran for three yards on one carry for one score, and caught seven passes for 78 yards and another touchdown. The Orange offense was all over the place, collecting several false start penalties and turning the ball over three times, but at the end of the day winning is what counts.
The Tigers (8-0) won another close game, 37-34 against the Florida State Seminoles. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson finished 27 of 43 for 378 yards with two TDs and two interceptions, and ran for 52 yards on 17 carries, while running back Wayne Gallman rushed for 82 yards on 20 carries and two scores, and tight end Jordan Legget had 122 yards on five receptions and one touchdown. Watson’s 34-yard pass to Leggett and the ensuing two-point conversion with 2:06 left put the Tigers ahead. Clemson is the only remaining unbeaten team in the ACC, lead the Atlantic Division are a lock for the first College Football Playoff rankings.
As mentioned above, the Tigers are the NCAA football betting favorites on Saturday, and Syracuse head coach Dino Babers is setting nicely into the whole David versus Goliath vibe. “Just give us a slingshot and a rock, that’s all I ask, a slingshot and a rock,” Babers said. While it’s true that Clemson has won three of their last four games by seven points or fewer, it’s also true that they deliver the goods when they need to. The Tigers are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games at home, and 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games an SU win. Moreover, Clemson is 2-5 in their last seven games after an ATS loss, and 0-4 against the spread in their last four November games.
The Orange is 5-1 against the spread in their last six games after giving up more than 200 yards rushing in the previous game, and 5-2 against the spread in their last seven ACC games. Additionally, Syracuse is 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games on the playing a team with a winning home record, and 9-3 against the spread in their last 12 games after yielding less than 170 passing yards in the previous game. All things considered, and as far as NCAA football betting goes, coach Babers may have all the rocks he wants, but as the late, great Rowdy Roddy Piper said, you do not throw rocks at a man with a machine gun.