Clemson vs Georgia College Football Free Picks

Clemson @ Georgia (UGA -11.5, 48.5 at BetUS.com)

Saturday, August 31, 12:00 PM ET

Mercedes-Benz Superdome

No. 14 Clemson makes the 2.5-hour trip to Atlanta to take on No. 1 Georgia on Saturday. The Tigers are the new favorite to win the ACC after Florida State was upset by Georgia Tech in Dublin last Saturday. The Bulldogs make their season debut as the favorite to win the SEC and this year’s new 12-team College Football Playoff. 

The two schools have a long history that dates back to 1897. Clemson and Georgia have met 65 times and the Bulldogs own a 43-18-4 advantage. Georgia has won each of the last two meetings and six of the last eight. They last played at the beginning of the 2021 season. Georgia was a 10-3 winner. Let’s see how the two teams match up this year.

The Case for Clemson

The Tigers didn’t have the best season in 2023, finishing 9-4 overall and 4-4 in the ACC. Clemson lost back-to-back conference games to Miami and NC State at midseason a year ago. The offense, normally a plus for Clemson, was mediocre at best in 2023. The Tigers averaged 29.8 points per game, but lacked any real explosiveness.

The good thing for head coach Dabo Swinney is that seven starters return on offense, led by QB Cade Klubnik. This will be their second year in offensive coordinator Garrett Riley’s offense. The Tigers defense has been very good for most of the past decade. Last year was no exception as Clemson finished No. 8 against the pass and No. 8 in total defense. All-American LB Barrett Carter returns to lead the Tigers defense.

Georgia Has Eyes on the Prize

After failing to make the College Football Playoff last season, Georgia looks ahead to winning its third national title in four years. The Bulldogs lost to Alabama 27-24 in last year’s SEC championship game. That cost them a shot at a possible three-peat.

The Georgia offense will once again be led by quarterback Carson Beck, one of the early favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Head coach Kirby Smart welcomes back nine offensive starters from a unit that averaged 40.1 points per game (5th in the nation) last year. The Bulldogs can run it and the passing game is outstanding.

Clemson-Georgia Best Bet

Handicapping a game early in the college football season can be difficult. Rosters and starting lineups change a lot, especially in the transfer portal age. One thing is clear though. Georgia is deserving of the No. 1 ranking heading into the season. The roster is talented and deep. Most everyone returns to one of the best offenses in the nation. Six starters are back on a defense that ranked No. 5 in scoring (15.6 ppg) last year. The Bulldogs were also ninth against the pass (175.4 ypg) and ninth in total defense (289.1 ypg).

Now, as good as Georgia’s defense has been, last season the Bulldogs saw a decline in EPA per play as well as defensive success rate. Georgia’s defense ranked 88th in terms of EPA per rush and 91st in rushing success rate. Is the Bulldogs defense still good? Absolutely, but Clemson may be able to have some success, especially in the running game where they return leading rusher Phil Mafah (965 yards, 13 TDs). 

With the near two-touchdown spread, there is more value on the total. While the hype is on both the Clemson and Georgia defenses, it’s the offenses that should find success on Saturday. The Bulldogs will keep clicking as they replace Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. Interestingly, five of Clemson’s last six games against a top-3 opponent at a neutral site have gone Over the total.  Our main pick is on the OVER while we also like a play on Georgia -13.5 points. 

Best Bets: OVER 48.5 & Georgia -13.5

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