by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Sep 04, 2022
Chick-fil-A Kickoff
Game time: 8 p.m. ET
Game time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Where to watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Clemson -23, total 51
FanDuel: Clemson -24.5, total 50.5
BetMGM: Clemson -22.5, total 50.5
Caesars: Clemson -23, total 51
2021 season record
No. 4 Clemson: 10-3 (6-2 ACC), won Cheez-It Bowl vs. Iowa State
Georgia Tech: 3-9 (2-6 ACC)
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Clemson - Georgia Tech preview, analysis and prediction
Last season was an odd one for the Clemson Tigers. Their national championship hopes essentially died after losing Week 1, and the momentum couldn’t be recalibrated in the post-Trevor Lawrence era. But the Tigers were able to bounce back in a big way, finish strong and win a bowl game.
But if you know anything about Dabo Swinney’s team, even a 10-win campaign will be seen as an utter failure. Sure, the Tigers won the Cheez-It Bowl, but there’s a lot of “what ifs?” when it pertains to Clemson when everything runs at full service. And that remains true when it comes to this group that starts out ranked No. 4 in the country.
The Tigers open the 2021 campaign Monday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in what is considered an unofficial home game for the latter, but Clemson won’t be intimidated by such opposing fanbases.
But for Clemson, it’s going to be important to get off to a fast start. Clemson failed to score even a touchdown in last year’s opener, a 10-3 loss to the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs. Trust me when I say that Georgia Tech won’t go on to win the national championship if the Yellow Jackets beat Clemson, but it will cause a ripple effect in the space-time continuum if Clemson were to lose to another Georgia-based team, especially to also open ACC play.
It's not a matter of Clemson needing to start 1-0 as the reason why it’s important to get off to a fast start. Clemson’s success this year, for as good a defense as the Tigers have, will hinder on the quarterback. And this isn’t to say that junior signal caller D.J. Uiagalelei needs to be Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence for Clemson to get back to the College Football Playoff, but he needs to be much better than he was last year.
Uiagalelei threw for fewer than 200 yards on nine occasions last year, with three of them coming in those three losses. One of those games was against Georgia Tech last Sept. 18, when the Jackets came to Clemson and nearly pulled off the upset but lost 14-8.
Clemson has been able to thrive during the Swinney era because of quarterbacks. But it’s also had its share of quality running backs in order to take the pressure off that group. And although the running game wasn’t at its best, Will Shipley still provided some punch with 11 touchdowns as a freshman. Uiagalelei also gets another year of Beaux Collins and Joseph Ngata to throw the ball to.
Uiagalelei threw just nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season, marks that need to be better. Also throwing for 2,246 yards is not going to get the job done. The running game should be better, but Uiagalelei needs to be better for Clemson to live up to that No. 4 ranking and make it back to the big games the Tigers are accustomed to playing.
Georgia Tech is coming off a 3-9 campaign in 2021 in Geoff Collins’ third year at the school. That group played strong defense that day against Clemson last year, but allowed 33.5 points per game the entire season. The last time we saw GT it gave up 45 to Georgia in the final game of the regular season.
The Jackets are not in any position to improve, but perhaps a strong start would help. That doesn’t seem likely, however.
Prediction
I want to believe that Clemson will be better this season, especially on offense, and the 24-point spread in some books is a strong indication that things will go right. Clemson is 0-6 against the spread in its last six September games, which doesn’t make sense. That trend ends on Monday. Clemson wins by 28
Betting trends
Clemson is 0-8 ATS the past three years when the total is between 49.5 and 56.
Clemson is 5-3 ATS since 1992 when a road favorite of 21.5 to 28 points.
Georgia Tech is 8-14 ATS in all games the past three years.
2021 statistical leaders
Clemson
Passing: D.J. Uiagalelei -- 2,246 yards, 9 TD, 10 INT
Rushing: Will Shipley -- 739 yards, 11 TD
Receiving: Justyn Ross -- 514 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Myles Murphy -- 7 sacks
Georgia Tech
Passing: Jeff Sims -- 1,468 yards, 12 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Jahmyr Gibbs -- 746 yards, 4 TD
Receiving: Kyric McGowan -- 467 yards, 7 TD
Defense: Quez Jackson -- 102 tackles
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
