Who is the Early Favorite Ahead of Clemson's Clash With Duke?

The Clemson Tigers enter November at 3-4 and fresh off a bye week, with the Duke Blue Devils next up for Dabo Swinney and company.

FanDuel released its opening line for Saturday’s showdown in Death Valley, which had Clemson favored by 3.5 points over Duke. The over/under mark is set at 55.5 points.

Editor's note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Clemson had generated a significant amount of excitement and hype around the program, and it was ranked No. 4 in the first AP Poll heading into the season. However, to say the Tigers have underperformed would be an understatement, as they have since gone 2-4 against Power Four opponents and sit at No. 11 in the ACC.

Before the bye week, the Tigers suffered a 35-24 loss to SMU, diminishing any long-shot hope for an ACC Championship game bid. Clemson now boasts a 1-3 record at home, which is extremely disappointing considering the elite environment that Death Valley is nationally known for.

On the other hand, the visiting Blue Devils, also coming off a bye week, have slightly more to play for than the Tigers. Duke is sitting at 4-3 after falling to Georgia Tech, 27-18, a couple of weeks ago, which marked its first ACC loss of the season. They dropped back-to-back games to then-No. 11 Illinois and Tulane at the beginning of the year, but had won three straight before the Georgia Tech loss.

The Blue Devils aren’t out of the ACC title race at 3-1 in conference play, with Clemson, No. 15 Virginia, North Carolina, and Wake Forest ahead of them down the homestretch of 2025.

Led by former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah, Duke ranks third in the ACC in total offense (463.3 yards/game) and first in the league in offensive passing efficiency. The Blue Devils also rank No. 4 in the nation in passing offense with 319.0 yards per game through the air.

In comparison, although Clemson’s defense is extremely talented in multiple positions, it has undoubtedly underperformed this season. The Tigers allow an average of 228.6 passing yards per game (No. 8 in ACC) and rank as the sixth-best defense in the conference, meaning either the Duke passing attack or the Tigers' defense must give.

Another important aspect of the matchup is Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who missed the SMU game due to a right ankle sprain that he suffered against Boston College on Oct. 11. His status heading into Saturday remains uncertain, but he appears to be taking every measure necessary to be able to play against the Blue Devils.

Clemson is favored by 3.5 points, but the line is likely to fluctuate throughout the week, especially if there’s a major update regarding Klubnik’s availability.

After Duke, the Tigers’ remaining schedule features Florida State, No. 16 Louisville, Furman, and South Carolina. College Football Playoff and national championship aspirations may be off the table, but there’s still a path for Clemson to make a bowl game.

The Tigers need to win three of the last five in front of them to become bowl-eligible, but considering how they’ve performed in recent weeks, nothing is an easy task.