Odds and Ends: Summer Spread Holds in Clemson-Georgia Matchup
Welcome to Week 1.
Each and every Sunday, we'll have the opening betting line for Clemson games with some thoughts on the opponent and what to expect in the market.
This week, of course, is different. The spread No. 3 Clemson and No. 5 Georgia has been out for months, and there's been little change this summer on the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Still, here's a breakdown of the current spread and total on this monumental matchup at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday at 7:30 p.m
Spread: Clemson -3.5
The Tigers began and now will end the summer as the favorite to knock off the Bulldogs. The line opened at either -3 or -3.5 and simply hasn't moved. Even with Georgia's multitude of absences from fall camp and the uncertainty of available playmakers.
Regardless, it didn't scare early bettors. However, those are mainly pros who look to pick off bad lines. This game is so big and the line is tight that many probably stayed away. However, we'll see early this week once the general public starts honing in on a full slate of games what the market is telling us about this matchup.
It's possible that Clemson's -3.5, which is +100 in juice, doesn't really move much because of the magnitude of the game and the uncertainty of how it will play out.
Currently, Clemson is -176 on the moneyline while a $100 bet on Georgia to win outright pays $138.
Over/under: 51.5 points
Now we get to a number more telling about how oddsmakers think this game will go. At 51.5, it appears that they're expecting a fairly low-scoring game. For comparison, the No. 1 Alabama-No. 14 Miami matchup has a total of 61.5, with the Crimson Tide favored by 18 points.
Penn State-Wisconsin, another top-20 matchup, has a spread of 5.5 points and a total of 50.5. That certainly implies a tight ball game, like Clemson-Georgia. While both offenses have star power, especially in quarterbacks D.J. Uiagalelei and J.T. Daniels, the defenses could be the real strengths of these two teams.
And early in the season, oddsmakers are well aware that the stop side of the ball is typically ahead of the scoring side. The total implies that a shootout would be unexpected.
Check back later this week for an update on market shifts and predictions for Clemson-Georgia.
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