Clemson vs. Georgia Predictions and Odds for College Football Week 1
No offense to Alabama against Miami, which will likely be another bloodbath in the Crimson Tide's favor, but the Week 1 college football game I'm most excited for is Georgia against Clemson coming live from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Beyond this being a matchup between Top 5 teams vying for an early advantage in the College Football Playoff rankings, it's also a showcase for two of the top Heisman contenders in 2021 -- Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels and Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.
If a matchup between top teams and top Heisman hopefuls to open the season doesn't get your blood churning, you're doing it wrong.
As always, the first week of college football can produce some true duds. But I don't see that happening here. Sure, it might be sloppy at the onset as both sides settle in after a summer of practicing in-house, but I foresee a high-scoring game where both quarterbacks show off. The question is, who comes out on top?
Clemson vs. Georgia Odds
WynnBET has Clemson at a three-point favorite heading into this game with the odds set for that bet at -115 (bet $115 to win $100). For those who don't know, that means if you bet Clemson -3, the Tigers have to win by four or more points for you to win the bet.
If you prefer to simply pick the outright winner, Clemson is set as a -165 moneyline favorite and Georgia is +140 (bet $100 to win $140) at WynnBET.
The over/under (how many points the teams will combine to score) is set at 51.5 with -115 odds on both sides.
Clemson vs. Georgia Predictions
When making any prediction about a team heading into Week 1, the smartest place to start is quarterback. Simply put, I like Daniels better in this one.
Not only has Daniels started 16 games to Uiagalelei's two, he also finished last season on a 4-0 run as Georgia's quarterback highlighted by a 392-yard passing performance against No. 8 Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl, where Daniels rallied the Bulldogs from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Daniels has also started a season-opener for USC back in 2018 and has played in more high-pressure situations than Uiagalelei.
That's not to say Uiagalelei hasn't had some good experience. He started against Notre Dame in a critical game last year and performed well in the loss, throwing for over 400 yards and accounting for three touchdowns. Expect him to put up big numbers in this one too.
Which brings me to my prediction. I'm taking the over on 51.5 points. While I'm tempted to take the Georgia moneyline, the safer bet for me is the over. In four starts with Daniels under center last year, Georgia averaged 37.5 points per game. In Uiagalelei's two starts, Clemson averaged 37 points per game. It's not apple to apples, but these guys know how to lead their offense to points, and while early-season jitters can lead to miscues and missed opportunities, I feel like these two teams will figure out a way to score around 30 points each in what should be a tight game.
The odds listed in this breakdown are available over at WynnBET. Make your pick.