The final game in the first full weekend of the 2023 college football season is in a primetime slot tonight as Clemson travels to Duke for an ACC matchup right out of the gate. We started the holiday weekend with a College Football Best Bet so it’s only fitting that we end it with one as well.
The Odds
Clemson -12.5
Clemson -500 on the moneyline
O/U 55.5
Why We’re Taking Duke At +12.5
Do I need to keep saying it? I’m a sucker for the home underdog! Putting that aside, the Duke offense is no joke. Quarterback Riley Leonard completed 64% of his passes in 2022, with an touchdown to interception ratio of 20/6. It’s not just his arm though, he led the team with 699 rushing yards and 13 additional scores. The Blue Devils should have enough offensive firepower to keep this game within two touchdowns.
Why We’re Taking Clemson On The Moneyline
Dabo Swinney has the defense to challenge for an ACC title. He snatched up offensive coordinator Garrett Riley from TCU during the offseason and former 5-star quarterback Cade Klubnik, along with running backs Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, are ready to get things rolling. I wouldn’t expect perfection, just yet, from this offense, but they’ll have enough to pull off a close win on the road.
Why We’re Taking The Under
First off, I don’t know that we’ve paid enough attention to the new clock rule and how it relates to the game. It’s speeding things up, but we’re not really sure yet how it affects the number of offensive snaps on each side. Beyond that, the combination of all the new faces within the Clemson offense could bring some hiccups. Duke will have to content with a Tiger defensive front that might be one of the best in the nation, so it’s natural to expect several drives to stall out there as well.
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