College Football Odds: Clemson Favored To Defend ACC Title Vs. Virginia Tech
The Clemson Tigers will aim to lock up a berth in the College Football Playoff on Saturday as they travel to Orlando, Fla., to face the Virginia Tech Hokies in the ACC Championship Game as 10-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Clemson earned the right to defend its ACC crown by finishing atop the Atlantic Division standings with a 7-1 straight-up record but has struggled to satisfy bettors with just two wins against the spread in its past six games ahead of Saturday night’s Tigers vs. Hokies betting matchup at Camping World Stadium.
The Tigers handed South Carolina a crushing 56-7 loss as 26-point home chalk in last week’s annual Palmetto Bowl matchup with the Gamecocks but have otherwise struggled to cover big spreads.
Clemson failed to pay out as 24-point chalk in a 35-13 victory at Wake Forest on Nov. 19 after suffering a stunning 43-42 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers as a massive 21 1/2-point home favorite the previous week and now owns a 2-3 ATS record in its past five games as double-digit chalk.
The Hokies head to Orlando riding a two-game SU and ATS win streak after handing the Virginia Cavaliers a punishing 52-10 beating during Rivalry Week, covering as heavy 19 1/2-point home favorites.
The win lifted Virginia Tech to 6-2 in conference play and completes an impressive reversal of fortune, resulting in the squad’s first Coastal Division title since 2010 after finishing no better than fourth in the division in each of the past four seasons.
Virginia Tech has been an uneven performer at the sportsbooks this season, failing to cover in three straight prior to its current two-game surge and finishing the regular season with a 6-6 ATS record.
The Hokies also are a middling 3-3 SU and ATS in their past six games overall as betting underdogs, according to the OddsShark College Football Database, and are a dismal 2-10 SU in their past 12 as double-digit underdogs but covered in seven of those outings.
The Hokies are 3-1 SU in their past four appearances in the ACC Championship Game but dropped a 38-10 decision to Clemson in their last appearance five years ago, coming up short as seven-point chalk.
That marked Virginia Tech’s second defeat during its three-game losing streak against the Tigers. Clemson dominated in those three wins, easily covering in each while holding the Hokies to just 10 points per game.
Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
