Pittsburgh vs Clemson 2018 ACC Championship Spread & Preview

Pittsburgh vs Clemson 2018 ACC Championship Spread & Preview

Written by on November 28, 2018

In 2017, Clemson suffered one regular-season loss in their ACC slate — and it happened when the Pittsburgh Panthers came to town. Tailback James Conner ran for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Pitt hung on for a 43-42 win over the then-#2 Tigers. Clemson would hold on to make the College Football Playoff but would lose handily in the national semifinal against Alabama. Clemson had been living dangerously before then, winning game after game by slim margins, and they were exposed on defense by Pitt. This year, Clemson has been winning more convincingly, except for an early scare at Texas A&M, which is one reason why they are 20-point favorites to win the conference title. Can they cover that huge spread? Check out our NCAAF betting preview.

Pittsburgh vs Clemson 2018 ACC Championship Spread & Preview

When: Saturday, December 1, 8:00pm ET Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC TV: ABC Radio: Sooner Sports Radio Network / Longhorn IMG Radio Network Live Stream: WatchESPN 2018 ACC Championship Odds: Clemson -20, O/U 58

Why should you bet on the Panthers?

Pittsburgh (7-5) started the season with a 2-3 run, losing to Penn State, Central Florida and lowly North Carolina. However, since then they have turned things around, with such impressive results as a 44-37 win over Syracuse. Last week was a bit of a setback as they were blanked by the Miami Hurricanes, 24-0. So consistency is definitely an issue for Pitt. Even so, the motivation of playing in a conference championship should be enough to have them focused and ready to pull off a repeat of last year’s performance. Pitt has covered in six of their last seven overall and in five of their last six ACC games. They have also covered in four of their last five against teams with records above .500. If you like the Panthers, then you think that Clemson will have some of the issues that plagued them against Texas A&M and then again against Boston College when it comes to consistently converting on offense and building and holding a large lead.

Why should you put your money on the Tigers?

Clemson (12-0) comes in on the momentum of a perfect regular season, including a 56-35 win over South Carolina in their finale. Trevor Lawrence threw for 393 yards and a score, while Travis Etienne ran for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That continued a stretch of offensive domination by the Tigers that is one reason why they sit at #2 in the College Football Playoff standings despite a schedule that did not have the most star-studded list of opponents. Clemson has covered in five of their last six ACC games and in five of seven overall. They have also covered 10 of their last 12 games played at a neutral site. Most of their ACC wins have been by large margins, such as a 34-point win over North Carolina State, a 61-point win over Louisville and a 29-point win over Duke. If you like the Tigers, you think that they can roll that offense right over Pittsburgh as well.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Last year, Clemson didn’t have their defense as squared away as they do this season, as they seem to have learned from those losses to Pitt and Alabama. The Panthers come in with five losses and didn’t look together at all on offense against Miami, and the Tigers should be able to take advantage. I predict a final score of Clemson 45, Pittsburgh 20.