The Clemson Tigers and the Pittsburgh Panthers square off on Saturday night in a battle for the ACC Championship.
The Clemson Tigers are on the hunt for their fourth straight ACC title and another birth in the College Football Playoff National Championships. Though the ACC hasn’t always been the top football conference in the nation, the increasingly competitive division has been a fun one to watch so far this year. Seeking their fourth title in a row, head coach Dabo Swinney’s Tigers will represent the much stronger team in what is perhaps the biggest mismatch of any conference championship game this season.
Pittsburgh, however, could feel that it has a solid chance at making this a competitive game. The Panthers played current No. 3 and NCAA College Football Playoff hopeful Notre Dame to just a five-point loss, falling to the Fighting Irish by a score of 19-14 in a tight game. Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt team will look to replicate that sort of competitiveness, flipping the score from last game and hoping a solid rushing attack can lead them to success.
The best chance of victory for the Pittsburgh Panthers comes in the form of what has ranked as a top-20 rushing offense so far this year. The Panthers average of 5.8 yards per carry ranks ninth in the country, and the team is a constant big play threat. The Panthers have 29 runs of 20 or more yards, which puts them 13th in the nation. Though the Tigers are heavily favored in this championship game, if Pitt can get its run game established early and often, the Panthers could increase their chances dramatically.
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The key for the Tigers comes in just doing what they’ve done almost all season: excelling at almost every position. More specifically, however, if Clemson can come into the game and take care of Pitt’s rushing attack, the Tigers shouldn’t have any problem securing a win and moving on to play in the Playoff. The key here for the Tigers is utilizing their defense that is full of soon-to-be NFL players. The Clemson defense, headlined by Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell and several others, have absolutely shut down opposing rushers. The defense has, thus far, held opposing rushers to a stifling 2.23 yards per carry, easy placing them as the best in the NCAA in that category.
To pair with that elite defensive unit, Clemson fields one of the best offenses in the league. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence currently holds a 156.82 passer rating, ranking him 17th in the nation in the category. Pitt was beaten by a Miami (FL) team that has struggled massively to move the ball this year, and this elite Clemson offense should be able to put up numbers against the Panthers.
Against other teams, Pitt may be able to utilize its rushing attack better to overshadow other significant shortages of talent on their offense, but this game definitely doesn’t seem like the right fit for Pittsburgh to pull off the upset. The spread is huge in favor of Clemson, and it by all means should be.
How to watch and bet Pittsburgh-Clemson
Date: Saturday, Nov. 31
Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Stadium: Levi’s Stadium
Odds (Oddsshark): Washington -27.5
TV info: ABC
Stream: WatchESPN
Prediction: Clemson takes the win in Saturday’s contest, covers the huge spread, and continues their undefeated run.