The Clemson Tigers have revenge on the brain as they welcome a Syracuse Orange team that upset them last year to town with Trevor Lawrence taking the lead.
You could call the first four games for the Clemson Tigers in 2018 an audition of sorts. Head coach Dabo Swinney was giving both incumbent starter Kelly Bryant and five-star freshman Trevor Lawrence time to prove they’re worth their salt at quarterback. In the end, however, it was Lawrence who stepped up and won the job, which was announced this week heading into a matchup against the Syracuse Orange.
Clemson fans surely haven’t forgotten that it was the Orange that gave them their lone regular season loss of last year, knocking Bryant — who has now decided to transfer under the new rules — out of the game with an injury. The Tigers will surely be looking to avenge that loss last year with their new signal-caller at the helm.
Lawrence has been impressive when on the field for his first taste of college football action, but the heart of the Tigers remains on defense. From Christian Wilkins to Clelin Ferrell, this is one of the best front-sevens in the sport right now. However, as they were last year in this matchup, they are going to be put to the test.
In perhaps one of the more underrated subplots of the early 2018 season, Syracuse enters this game undefeated and looking quite formidable. That starts with their offense and quarterback Eric Dungey. While he hasn’t been prolific throwing the ball, he’s been a force when taking off and running this season. That type of dual-threat quarterback play has already given the Tigers defense some issues earlier this season, and the Orange hope they can make that happen once more.
TV and Game Info
Date: Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Start Time: Noon ET
Location: Clemson, SC
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
TV Info: ABC
Live Stream: FuboTV, WatchESPN
Given the fact that Syracuse pulled off the upset last year and enter this game unbeaten, you might think that this line would be a bit closer than it actually is. Regardless, the Tigers will have to really put forth a dominant showing if they want to cover on Saturday afternoon.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Clemson -25
Moneyline: Clemson -3000, Syracuse +1500
Over/Under: 64
Prediction
The Tigers are clearly the better overall team in this matchup, but I do believe that the Orange can again cause them problems. While moving to Lawrence as the starter is the right move, the defense has proven vulnerable when facing players like Dungey. However, there won’t be an upset again in this matchup — it’ll just be much closer than the oddsmakers believe it to be.
Final Score: Syracuse 27, Clemson 37