1. Clemson at Georgia Tech, Monday, Sept. 5
LINE Clemson -22
ATS PICK Clemson
And we close out this gimmicky Do You Believe In This Or Not? article with one of the biggest of the bunch.
All offseason I’ve made sure to correct every radio and podcast host – always in a polite way with no pretentiousness whatsoever – that Clemson has to be included with Alabama and Ohio State in the automatic picks for the College Football Playoff.
I just can’t get past it.
Clemson got hit with injuries to the defensive front, the offense did NOTHING until the second half of the season, and it still won ten games with all three losses – Georgia, Pitt, and NC State – very, very close to going the other way.
Now the defensive front is the best in college football, the offense is going to be better – it has to be – and the schedule works out.
And then there’s the dopey “feel” aspect to this game.
This feels like one of those performance art games with all of us about to jump on the DJ Uiagalelei train again.
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Clemson is going to want to make a statement. It’s going to want to prove a point after struggling in a 14-8 win over Georgia Tech last year. It’s going to want to impress on Monday night in front of the world.
What happened on the Labor Day game last year? Ole Miss blasted Louisville 43-24.
2020? BYU 55, Navy 3.
2019? Notre Dame 35, Louisville 17. 2018? Virginia Tech 24, Florida State 3.
You have to go back to the wild 2017 double-overtime Tennessee win over Georgia Tech 42-41 to find a good Monday night game to start the season. For whatever reason, these games are usually horrible.
Georgia Tech isn’t horrible this year. It should be better, and it has a few playmakers, and it doesn’t matter.
Clemson is about to show the world that it really is time to believe again.
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Week 1: Thursday/Friday | Saturday
Week 0 Schedule, Game Previews