The Clemson Tigers have struggled lately against the Syracuse Orange, particularly in the Carrier Dome, which is where they head for Saturday night’s tilt.
Whenever the Clemson Tigers and Syracuse Orange have met in recent college football seasons, there have been fireworks. One year ago, the eventual undefeated National Champions had to go down to the wire to take down the Dino Babers coached team. And the year prior, the Tigers went on the road to the Carrier Dome and lost in a shocker. On Saturday night, these two squads will square off again at that venue.
Coming off of their title win last season, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson team has looked the part of defending champions in dominant wins over Georgia Tech and Texas A&M. Star quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn’t even gotten in rhythm yet but with Travis Etienne and the run game in addition to Xavier Thomas and a revamped defense, this group remains dangerous.
As impressive as the Tigers have looked, though, the Orange have looked equally unimpressive. With Tomm DeVito now replacing long-time starter Eric Dungey at quarterback, Syracuse has stumbled off the blocks, unable to pull away in the opener against Liberty and then unable to stop Maryland from pulling away in a blowout loss last week. Not only does DeVito need to be better, but Alton Robinson and the defense need to take the lead as well.
Despite the apparent gap between these two teams, they have still played one another tightly and the Carrier Dome is a great equalizer. What remains to be seen, though, is how much that matters when the discrepancy between how these two teams are performing right now is so massive.
How to watch and bet on Clemson vs. Syracuse
Date: Saturday, Sept. 14
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Carrier Dome – Syracuse, NY
TV Info: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Point Spread: Clemson -28
Over/Under: 64.5
(Odds via Bovada)
Considering how closely Syracuse has played the Tigers in recent years, most people will tell you to take the Orange at home. That’s not coming from me, though. Not only should Lawrence and the Tigers be eager to make a statement but they’ve looked light-years better than their opponents to this point. On top of that, take the over given how generous the Syracuse defense has been.
Prediction: There’s absolutely nothing that Clemson shouldn’t be able to do in this game at will. Whether it’s get after DeVito, run the ball, throw the ball or stifle the Orange defense, Syracuse hasn’t shown this season that they can offer much resistance at all. I know they’ve played them close but it feels like a season in where that just isn’t the case, even in the Carrier Dome.
Score Prediction: Clemson 58, Syracuse 14