Betting sites favor the No. Clemson Tigers over the No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers by 28 points, as the spread goes for the ACC championship game on December 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Clemson Tigers ACC Championship Odds by GTBets
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | +28½ (-110) | 55 (-110) | +2375 |  |
| Clemson | -28½ (-110) | 55 (-110) | -4750 | |
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Betting Virginia Cavaliers
The Cavs finished the season with a 9-3 record (6-2 in conference play). According to the best online sportsbooks, UVA also went 6-5-1 against the spread. Starting QB Bryce Perkins is 265 of 413 (64.2%) for 2,949 yards with 16 TDs, nine picks, and 36 sacks. Wide receiver Hasise Dubois has 849 yards and three TDs on 55 receptions.
Virginia ranks 38th in passing offense with 261.8 yards per game. Perkins also leads the team with 687 rushing yards and 11 TDs on 196 carries. The Cavs average just 128.4 rushing yards per game which ranks them 109th in the country. Linebacker Zane Zandier has 85 tackles, safety Joey Blount has three interceptions, and linebacker Jordan Mack has 7.5 sacks. All things considered, though, UVA’s defense is rather pedestrian.
Here are some of trends that betting sites like so much. Virginia is 4-1 ATS in their last five games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game. 4-1 ATS in their last five games on grass. And 4-1 ATS in their last five neutral site games.
“I would say one of the things I like and admire is that it’s not the same plan each week,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “I like the approach that Clemson uses. There is a core, there is a standard amount of defenses played, but there are innovations that happen week to week, specific to opponents, specific to situations, specific to personnel groups, that you have to kind of discover as you go. “They’re usually disguised.
There’s movement associated either pro or post snap that make it more difficult to discern. All those subtle things take extra work and extra time, are really kind of a next-level of coaching that I think Clemson is doing routinely.”
Betting Clemson Tigers
The Tigers completed a perfect regular season with a 12-0 record. They also posted a pretty good 9-3 ATS records, per betting sites. Starting QB Trevor Lawrence is 216 of 315 (68.6%) for 2,870 yards with 30TDs, eight picks, and 10 sacks. Wide receiver Tee Higgins has 900 yards and 10 TDs on 43 catches.
Clemson passes for 285.3 yards per game, ranking 25th in the country. Running back Travis Etienne has rushed for 1386 yards and 16 TDs on 168 totes. The Tigers has the 10th-best rushing offense, averaging 256.4 yards per game. Only two other schools gain more all-purpose yards per game than Clemson’s 541.8 (3rd). The Tigers make good use of those yards, scoring 45.3 points per game (4th).
Linebacker Isaiah Simmons has 84 tackles and six sacks, and safety Tanner Muse has four interceptions. Clem has the second-best total defense in the country (232.8 ypg), including the very best pass defense (126 ypg).
The Tigers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games after gaining more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. 6-1 ATS in their last seven games after allowing fewer than 170 yards passing in their previous game. And 5-1 ATS in their last six games after allowing fewer than 20 points in their previous game.
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Clemson Tigers ACC Championship Picks
Twenty-nine points seem like too many for a conference championship game. Then again, this is Clemson, which has covered three in a row and six of the last seven. Make that four straight on Saturday.
