College Football Betting Odds: Clemson Begins Title Defense As Huge Favorites
The Clemson Tigers will begin the defense of their national championship on Saturday when they take on the Kent State Golden Flashes as massive 40-point favorites on the Week 1 college football odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Tigers romped to a second straight ACC championship with a 14-1 overall straight-up record last season, going 7-1 SU against conference rivals, en route to a stunning 35-31 win over Alabama as 6.5-point chalk in the national championship game.
However, Clemson returns to action trailing at No. 5 on the AP Top 25 rankings, and sports distant +2800 national championship odds going into Saturday afternoon’s Golden Flashes vs. Tigers betting matchup at Clemson Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers simply have been dominant in recent years in matchups at Death Valley, going 22-1 SU over their past 23, but have turned in mixed results as heavy double-digit home chalk, going 2-2 against the spread in their past four while favored by 30 or more on home turf.
Clemson faces a Golden Flashes squad that finished last season with three straight SU losses and a dismal 3-9 SU overall record. Kent State is also winless SU in five meetings with ACC opponents, averaging just 6.6 points per game in those contests.
The Florida State Seminoles open their season as the top ACC squad on the national championship betting lines with +750 odds, but face a tough test in Saturday’s opener as they clash with the Crimson Tide at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium as 7-point underdogs.
The No. 3 Seminoles took a step back over the past two seasons after claiming three straight conference titles, but open the new year as +110 favorites on the ACC championship odds.
It has been a decade since Florida State last faced the Crimson Tide, taking home a 21-14 win as 2.5-point home chalk. The Seminoles hope to build on last year’s strong 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS finish, but face an Alabama squad that is on an 11-0 SU run on the road, and opens the campaign as +240 national championship favorites.
On Sunday, No. 21 Virginia Tech faces No. 22 West Virginia as a 4.5-point favorite at FedExField. The Hokies finished 2016 on a solid 3-1 SU run, while covering in each of those contests, and have taken two straight from the Mountaineers, who compiled a 4-9 ATS record last year.
In other ACC college football action this week, No. 16 Louisville visits Purdue as 26.5-point chalk, and Boston College visits Northern Illinois as a 3.5-point favorite, while Georgia Tech takes on No. 25 Tennessee on Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a 3-point underdog.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
