Odds and Ends: Clemson Opens as Big Road Favorite at Syracuse on Friday Night

Clemson has yet to cover the spread in a game this season.

Syracuse has only failed to beat the oddsmakers' number just once this year. Yet, just like when the Tigers went to NC State last month, the road team is another big favorite.

Clemson (3-2 overall, 2-1 ACC) opened -12.5 on SI Sportsbook on Sunday heading into Friday's 7 p.m. showdown with the Orange, but it was quickly bet up to -13. The Tigers had Saturday off to heal numerous injuries and work on improving its ailing offense.

Syracuse, meanwhile, took Wake Forest, a 6.5-point favorite, to the brink at home, but the Demon Deacons squeaked out a 40-37 victory in overtime on Saturday. The Orange (3-3, 0-2) haven't been favored over an FBS team yet this season, but all five of those spreads have been under a touchdown.

The Tigers were favored by 14.5 against Boston College on Oct. 2 and held on for a 19-13 win, with the Eagles knocking on the door late in the game. The week before that, the Wolfpack beat Clemson outright in overtime as a 10.5-point underdog. The Tigers also fell short of covering a three-touchdown spread against Georgia Tech in an ugly 14-8 in Week 3.

Clemson has had its issues with the Orange in years past. The Tigers have only covered two of the last seven meetings, and three of those games were decided by 10 points or less.

Syracuse pulled off a shocker in the same building as Friday's game in 2017. That Clemson squad rebounded to be the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. This year, the Tigers will take any kind of win to stay in the hunt for the ACC title with odds stacked against them this time around.

The total points scored for the game opened at 45.5. Only Clemson's overtime game against NC State has gone over the total this season. Syracuse is 3-3 on over/unders.

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