The No. 2 Clemson Tigers (-17.5) are paying a visit to their conference foe No. 17 Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. The game is scheduled to get underway at 8:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ABC.
Betting Preview: Clemson Tigers at Boston College Eagles
Boston College is getting picked to play the role of underdog and is currently getting 17.5 points in this Saturday ACC matchup. The Tigers are also receiving -1450 moneyline odds while the Eagles are +800. If one squad finds paydirt early it will create a nice betting scenario in-game. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 59.5 points.
The under has gotten the bulk of the early sharp action. The game’s O/U was initially set at 61.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this year as the Tigers have gained 4.0 units and the Eagles are up 2.1 units.
The Tigers are 9-0 straight up (SU), including 6-0 SU against conference opponents. The Eagles are 7-2 SU overall and 4-1 SU in conference play.
The Tigers are hoping to stay undefeated following a 77-16 victory over Louisville last week where the Tigers completed 14-of-20 passes for 169 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Trevor Lawrence went eight-for-12 for 59 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Chase Brice completed six-of-seven for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Travis Etienne (153 yards on eight rush attempts, one TD) and Tavien Feaster (101 yards on six carries, two TDs) led the ground attack while Amari Rodgers (three receptions, 12 yards, one TD) and Tee Higgins (three catches, 26 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Boston College enters this one after just earning a 31-21 win over Virginia Tech. Anthony Brown completed 15-of-26 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. AJ Dillon (96 yards on 24 rush attempts, one TD) and Travis Levy (75 yards on 11 carries, two TDs) handled the running game while Tommy Sweeney (four receptions, 61 yards) and Levy (three catches, 28 yards) led the receiving corps in the win.
Clemson has run the ball on 53.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Boston College has an overall rush percentage of 65.1 percent. The Tigers have run for 265.3 yards per game (including 285.8 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 31 scores on the ground this year. The Eagles are totaling 225.6 rush yards per game (206.6 in conference) and have 21 total rushing TDs.
If 2018 numbers can translate to this game, then it seems like the Tigers may hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game, as their backfield has produced 6.9 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 2.2 YPC to opponents. The Eagles have tallied 4.6 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 3.5 to opponents.
The Tigers offense has averaged 272.7 yards in the air overall (264.7 per game against conference opposition) and has 25 passing TDs so far. The Eagles have recorded 214.6 pass yards per game (214 against ACC competition) and have 21 total pass scores.
Defensively, Clemson should have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 90.4 yards and pass for 178.8 yards per game. The Boston College defense has allowed 221.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 144.1 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Tigers have given up an ANY/A of 4.45 to opposing QBs, while the Eagles are yielding an ANY/A of 4.03.
Passing-wise, Lawrence has amassed 1,235 yards on the year, and has connected on 68 percent of his 151 attempts with 14 scores through the air and only three interceptions. He’s got a sparkling 8.55 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 9.14 over the last two games.
We’re expecting the Tigers to control tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. Along with Amari Rodgers (239 yards, two TDs), Travis Etienne (953 rush yards, 15 rush TDs, one receiving TD) and Lyn-J Dixon (439 rush yards, four rush TDs) have delivered in the offensive gameplans for Clemson.
Anthony Brown has connected on 106-of-181 passes for 1,415 yards, 15 TDs and four INTs for Boston College. His ANY/A stands at 7.54 for the season and 5.48 over his past two outings.
The Eagles also prefer to utilize their backfield. Anthony Brown (nine receiving yards, one TD) has contributed lately, but AJ Dillon (748 rush yards, seven rush TDs, one receiving TD) and Travis Levy (173 rush yards, two rush TDs, 104 receiving yards) have seen a lot of touches recently.
When these two schools faced one another a year ago, Clemson knocked Boston College off soundly 34-7.
Clemson Tigers at Boston College Eagles Free Pick
SU Winner: Clemson, ATS Winner: Clemson, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Clemson defensive unit has 32 sacks on the year while Boston College has 28.
- Boston College has lost eight fumbles in 2018 while Clemson has let six get away.
- The Tigers offense has produced 16 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Eagles have put up five such plays.
- The Clemson defense has allowed five pass plays of 40+ yards, while Boston College has given up two such plays.
- The Clemson offense has created 28 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Boston College has created 22 such runs.
- The Tigers defense has allowed 10 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Eagles have given up six such runs.
- The O/U for Boston College’s last game was 57. The under cashed in the 31-21 victory over Virginia Tech.
- In its last three matches, Boston College is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- Over its last three matchups, Clemson is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for Clemson’s previous game going into it was 61.5. The over cashed in the team’s 77-16 victory over Louisville.
- Clemson has produced 6.9 yards per carry over its past three games and 8.7 over its last two.
- Boston College has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.3 over its past two.
