The No. 24 Clemson Tigers (4-2, 3-1 ACC) and No. 23 Pittsburgh Panthers (5-1, 2-0) tangle in a Saturday afternoon ACC conference game. The contest at Heinz Field is slated to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Clemson vs. Pittsburgh odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Clemson has struggled its way to a 115th-place ranking in total offense over the first half of the season. The Tigers do enter this contest on a two-game win streak, and those victories are part of a close-game trend for Clemson. Five of the team’s six games have been decided by one score.
The Panthers are coming off three straight wins by margins of 20 points or more. Last Saturday at Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh outgained the Hokies, 411 yards to 224. The Panthers didn’t allow a score until garbage time. But it has been the Pitt offense that has really impressed this fall. The Panthers rank fifth in the nation with a total yards-per-game average of 533.5.
Clemson at Pittsburgh odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 5:41 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Clemson +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Pittsburgh -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Clemson +3.5 (-122) | Pittsburgh -3.5 (-102)
- Over/Under (O/U): 46.5 (O: -120 | U: -105)
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Clemson at Pittsburgh odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Pittsburgh 28, Clemson 20
Money line
This is an interesting ACC matchup but one that is perhaps more interesting than it is bet-able. Much of the calculation here lies in where one sees the Tigers’ offense and the Panthers’ defense. As weak and strong, respectively, as the numbers indicate?
Peg Pittsburgh with a slight lean, but it’s worth shooting for the relative on the Panthers minus the 3-and-a-hook. PASS.
Against the spread
The Tigers have lost seven in a row ATS. But Clemson did cover a 24-point spread in last year’s meeting with Pitt. The Tigers routed the Panthers, 52-17 (Nov. 28).
But that was certainly a different Clemson team, and this year’s Panther defense gives Pittsburgh just enough of an edge. Solid analytics on the Panther front-seven is especially instructive in pegging the advantage for the home side.
TAKE PITTSBURGH -3.5 (-102).
Over/Under
A strong Pittsburgh passing game and at least the potential of much more from the Clemson side make this an intriguing Over. Especially with a downward drift on the total in the back half of the week. On at least a small lean, this one is now ripe for some push-back.
The Over has hit in six straight Panther home games. Put your chips on 7: BACK THE OVER 46.5 (-120).
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