Clemson vs Auburn: Preview, prediction, betting odds
By John Buhler
The Auburn Tigers will host the No. 2 Clemson Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night for a highly anticipated Week 1 ACC/SEC showdown.
On Saturday, Sept. 3, the Clemson Tigers will begin their quest to perfection when they travel to The Plains to take on the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. This will be a 9:00 PM ET kickoff and ESPN will be airing the ACC/SEC Week 1 showdown.
Clemson enters the 2016 NCAA season as the No. 2 team in the country. Auburn, meanwhile, faces a daunting schedule and will struggle to get towards bowl eligibility. Clemson will be favored in every game this fall and could run the table to a perfect 12-0 with its navigable 2016 schedule.
Dabo Swinney’s Clemson program features arguably the best player in college football in junior quarterback Deshaun Watson. He’s almost certainly going to be the No. 1 player taken in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Gus Malzahn’s Auburn team is in a make-or-break year. The Tigers will go with Sean White as their starting quarterback. White should do just fine from shotgun in Malzahn’s “hurry-up-and-run” offense, but the Tigers’ best player this fall will be senior defensive end Carl Lawson. Lawson should shine in Kevin Steele’s revamped pass rush this fall.
Betting Odds:
Point Spread: Auburn +7.5
Money Line: Auburn +250
Over/Under: 62
Prediction:
This should be a high-scoring game between two Southeastern blue-bloods. Though the 62-point over/under seems a bit high, keep in mind that Auburn has had one of the worst defenses in the SEC the last few years. Clemson will have to reload on that end of the field in 2016, as the Tigers lost Mackensie Alexander, Kevin Dodd, and Shaq Lawson to the 2016 NFL Draft.
Expect the quarterbacks to move around a ton to evade strong pass rushes. Given that Clemson is more polished on the offensive end and Auburn is a work in progress defensively, Clemson should edge out Auburn for good by the third quarter.
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While White will have full command of Malzahn’s offense and Lawson will have a good day in the Clemson backfield, Watson will prove early on that he is the best player on the field in this game. Clemson covers the 7.5-point spread and wins a signature road game down on The Plains.
Final Score: Clemson 37, Auburn 28