No. 11 Florida State Seminoles at No. 21 Clemson Tigers (-2), Total 50.5 |
Florida State will be heading into Death Valley with backup freshman quarterback Clint Trickett, who has thrown for 310 yards and four touchdowns. He got a little taste of big-time college football last week after EJ Manuel went down with a shoulder injury.
The Seminoles get their second opportunity to knock off a ranked opponent, as they dropped a 23-13 contest to the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners last week as 3.5-point home underdogs. It’s important to note that the team was out-gained by just 64 yards in that particular contest.
Injuries have ravaged this team up and down the roster, something that head coach Jimbo Fisher knows the team is going to have to deal with moving forward. “It affects you,” Fisher commented this week during practice. “Injuries are part of football.”
With all the missing players on the offensive side of the ball, the defense will need to come up with a big performance, as the unit ranks fifth nationally in allowing just 195 yards a game.
Defending the pass is the unit’s biggest strength, not allowing any of its three opponents this season to throw for over 200 yards. It will receive a stern test when facing Clemson signal-caller Tajh Boyd, as he’s thrown for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
Sportsbooks players will be interested to know that the Seminoles are 6-5 ATS as an underdog and 6-11 ATS when facing conference opponents.
Clemson is 7-17 in this series and 1-5 when both teams are ranked, but will be seeking its sixth 4-0 start since the 1971 season. The Tigers have won the last four meetings when playing in Death Valley.
Offensively, the team has been very impressive, racking up 624 yards of total offense last week. Balance has been the key, gaining 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in each of the last two weeks.
The Tigers are ninth nationally in averaging 522.7 yards per game, but head coach Dabo Swinney wants the team to focus on playing a complete game this week. “We want to play our best game and we haven’t played hit yet,” Swinney commented in practice. “That’s our mentality.”
Plenty of media attention has surrounded freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who has been rewriting school record books in just his first three games on campus. Last week, he finished with 10 receptions and 155 receiving yards with two touchdowns.
Clemson has a very young team in general, with 42 freshmen (redshirt and first year) among its 85 players on scholarship. It’s certainly going to be tested all year long with the team currently possessing the nation’s toughest schedule.
college football betting fans will find that the Tigers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 opportunities as a favorite of a field goal or less, while going over in their last four games as a home favorite.
