Clemson Tigers Rise In ACC Title Odds

After Saturday’s big win over Miami, Clemson is being viewed as a serious conference title threat

Clemson continues to roll, and it boosts their conference title odds | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clemson Tigers basketball is hitting a stride as January rolls on. Brad Brownell’s team has won nine straight games, including six straight to start ACC play. The Tigers entered the Associated Press Top 25 Poll last week, coming in at No. 22 in the nation.

With that success comes expectations.

The sportsbooks’ opinion of Clemson has improved greatly since the start of the season. Back in October, the Tigers had +2000 odds on bet365 to win the conference’s regular-season title. Just a few months later, Clemson sits at +750 odds, which are third-best in the league behind Duke (-320) and Virginia (+450), per FanDuel.

Clemson (16-3, 6-0 ACC) has emerged as a serious contender due in large part to a sizable transfer portal haul. This past offseason, Brownell added six new pieces to the 2025-26 roster through the portal. Each of which have played regular and meaningful minutes for the Tigers as the program aims for a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

Clemson’s rise has also coincided with some disappointing results for other top preseason contenders in the ACC. No. 20 Louisville (13-5, 3-3 ACC) has already dropped three games this season where it entered play as a betting favorite in the matchup.

Looking ahead for the Tigers, the competition for the regular-season title is most likely to include three other teams – No. 6 Duke (17-1, 6-0 ACC), No. 16 Virginia (16-2, 5-1 ACC), and Miami (15-3, 4-1 ACC). Clemson’s win over the Hurricanes this past weekend is a major feather in their cap in a potential tiebreaker scenario, considering the teams don’t play again this regular season.

The Blue Devils project as the top threat in the conference, boasting a roster that is full of blue-chip talent. Freshman phenom Cameron Boozer has led Duke to a remarkable 12 double-digit victories this season, while averaging 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The projected top-five pick in next year’s NBA Draft leads the Blue Devils in all three categories. Of note, Clemson and Duke will meet for the lone time this regular season on Saturday, February 14 in Durham. Clemson took down the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils last season at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Virginia is the only ACC foe that Clemson does not face on its regular-season schedule this season. Head coach Ryan Odom has hit the ground running in his first season in Charlottesville, guiding a proud UVA program to a strong 5-1 start in conference play. The Cavaliers own victories over Texas and NC State in addition to road wins this past week over No. 20 Louisville and SMU.

Miami, on the other hand, has the easiest ACC schedule (when averaging KenPom, NET, BPI, and ESPN’s strength of record). Jai Lucas’ Hurricanes are set to face North Carolina, Virginia, and Louisville, but also have some of the weakest conference foes on the schedule. 

Lucas has done a remarkable job providing an immediate impact in South Florida after longtime head coach Jim Larrañaga stepped down. Clemson snapped Miami’s ten-game winning streak on Saturday, but the ‘Canes still have matchups with North Carolina, Virginia, SMU, and Louisville remaining.