You know that your program is elite when a 10-3 season is viewed as a disappointment.
That’s exactly the case for Clemson. It’s National Championship or bust for the Tigers, who hope to contend annually for the College Football Playoff.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, Dabo Swinney & Co. hopes for a different outcome in 2022.
Will Clemson get the season started with a dominant victory over Georgia Tech?
Find out in our college football betting picks and predictions below and our Clemson vs. Georgis Tech player prop picks.
Clemson vs Georgia Tech odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
Clemson opened -19, but the line has widened to -23.5 at most books. The total moved from 49.5 at open to 51 at current, although 50.5 is also available.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.
Clemson vs Georgia Tech predictions
Predictions made on 9/4/2022 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Clemson vs Georgia Tech game info
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
• Date: Monday, September 5, 2022
• Kick-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Clemson vs Georgia Tech betting preview
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Key injuries
Betting trend to know
Georgia Tech is 1-7 against the spread in its last eight games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for Clemson vs. Georgia Tech.
Clemson vs Georgia Tech picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Spread analysis
What went wrong for Clemson in 2022? Mainly, it was a lifeless offense that was about as harmless as a ladybug. The team ranked 82nd nationally in points per game (26.3) while mustering just 360.8 total yards per game.
The quarterback play simply wasn’t up to par for a program that has churned so many legends of the sport in recent years. D.J. Uiagalelei returns as the starter after completing just 55.6% of his passes for 6.0 yards per attempt. He threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9). Those numbers look bad for any program, but it’s especially disconcerting at a program like Clemson.
So, will things improve in 2022? Experience won’t be an issue, as the Tigers return nine starters offensively while ranking 17th in returning production on that side of the ball. Word out of camp is that the offensive line should be improved this season with four starters returning and looking better in practice.
With two talented backs in Will Shipley and Kobe Pace, they should be able to move the ball at will against a Yellow Jackets defense that surrendered 33.5 points per game and 456.1 total yards of offense on 6.7 yards per play.
Clemson’s defense figures to be among the nation’s best with stars like Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis, Myles Murphy, and Xavier Thomas up front. Thomas will be out until late September, but this team is still loaded in the trenches.
The loss of defensive coordinator Brent Venables isn’t ideal, but that probably doesn’t matter against an inferior opponent in this one. The Tigers will physically overwhelm the Yellow Jackets and dominate the line of scrimmage.
After a rough start to the year, Clemson finished 5-1 ATS in its final six games of 2021. The Yellow Jackets are just 1-7 ATS in their last eight games overall and will be outmatched in this one.
Clemson had one of their worst showings of the season last year in a narrow 14-8 win over Georgia Tech, and they’ll be anxious to prove that this team is different. They’ll use this opportunity to make a statement in the opening game, and this line feels short.
Prediction: Clemson -22.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
Over/Under analysis
Clemson’s offense should be improved in 2022, but the question is by how much? Scoring 26.3 points per game simply isn’t going to cut it for a program that hopes to compete for the National Championship. There’s too much talent on this roster for that to repeat in 2022.
That being said, it also doesn’t guarantee that the offense is elite and there are still questions at quarterback. Uiagalelei looks notably slimmer this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s now a superstar at the position.
He was downright bad last season and will be pushed hard by incoming five-star Cade Klubnik. We’ve seen in the past that Dabo isn’t shy about inserting a freshman in the lineup if they truly give them the best chance to win, and it’s a near certainty that happen in 2022 if Uiagalelei struggles again.
The competition should lead to improved quarterback play over the course of the season, but this is Week 1 and those results may not show immediately.
Do we see Klubnik on Monday? Does the offense look better under new coordinator Brandon Streeter? Is the receiving room healthy after numerous injuries in Fall camp? There are still too many questions for me to feel fully confident that this offense will get fully back on track immediately to start the season.
The Yellow Jackets also have a quarterback who has struggled with interceptions in his career. Jeff Sims returns as a three-year starter but has thrown 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his career. The offense returns only five starters to a team that averaged 24 points per game, 95th nationally. The line could be overmatched in this game considering only one starter up front returns and they’re facing arguably the nation’s best front seven.
I expect the Georgia Tech offense to get suffocated against an elite defense, and I don’t expect Clemson’s offense to run the score up enough to hit the Over.
The Under is 20-6 in the Tigers’ last 26 games in September and I expect that to continue on Monday.
Prediction: Under 51 (-110 at DraftKings)
Best bet
I’m picking Clemson to roll in Week 1 as Monday’s best bet.
The Yellow Jackets ended last season with a 55-0 loss to Notre Dame and a 45-0 loss to Georgia. Yes, you read that correctly — they lost their final two games by a combined score of 100-0.
We’ve seen what happens when the Yellow Jackets step up in competition and it should be more of the same against Clemson. Geoff Collins is a dead man walking this season unless the team shows vast improvement, and consider me dubious considering they rank 109th in returning production and don’t have any clear strengths.
Their best player, Jahmyr Gibbs, left via the transfer portal (Alabama) and this team grades out below average to significantly below average nearly everywhere.
Clemson had a down season in 2021, but we saw an improvement to end the season and all indications seem to be that the Tigers will continue to improve in 2022. The defense will be elite and an experienced offense should be better than a year ago. This should be a cakewalk for the Tigers if they play to their potential.
Give me the Tigers to make quick work of the Yellow Jackets on Labor Day.
Pick: Clemson -22.5 (-110 at BetMGM)
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