Georgia Tech hasn’t beaten Clemson since 2014, but last season’s meeting was as close as the Yellow Jackets have come in the time since.
They were able to hold a sixth-ranked Clemson team to just two scores in Week 3 of 2021. However, a non-existent offense kept them from victory in a 14-8 loss. That was the first sign of a relative down year for Clemson, which went on to lose three games for the first time since that year of its last loss to Georgia Tech.
The Tigers enter this season with fresh hope as the country’s No. 4 team, though. Returning a large chunk of last season’s squad, they hold the fourth-shortest odds at Tipico Sportsbook to win the CFP title at +900 and enter Monday’s Week 1 matchup as 24.5-point favorites. But can they cover such a large spread against a team they barely beat last season?
I suspect they will. Clemson beat Georgia Tech 73-7, 52-14 and 49-21 in the three years prior. And while the Tigers stumbled through the first half of last season, going 4-2, it closed the year on a six-game winning streak, including a win in the Cheez-It Bowl. Three of those wins were by 21 points or more, including a win over No. 10 Wake Forest.
Georgia Tech, which lost a bunch of players this summer from a defense that was shaky to begin with, closed last season on a six-game losing streak. That includes being outscored 100-0 in the final two weeks of the season.
If they couldn’t score against Clemson last year, I don’t expect that to change much in 2022. But I do expect quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and the Clemson offense to be much better this go around, which is why I favor Clemson at such a large number and -103 odds. And because I believe Clemson cracks 35 points, a margin of more than 24 means this game likely goes over 50.5 points. I’m looking for a final score somewhere around 41-14.
Prince’s Pick: Clemson -24.5 and Over 50.5 points