It’s the battle of the Tigers. The two Death Valleys. And two Heisman hopeful quarterbacks. And while a lot of this game looks like a toss-up, my SGP for this Top 10 matchup clearly favors one QB over the other, and that's Cade Klubnik.
For a complete breakdown and more college football picks for this game, check out my LSU vs. Clemson predictions.
Our best LSU vs Clemson SGP for Week 1
The difference for me in this matchup is simple. Clemson Tigers QB Cade Klubnik will have more time to operate in the pocket and attack downfield compared to LSU Tigers QB Garrett Nussmeier.
Nussmeier is working behind an offensive line that has to replace several impact players, including first-round pick Will Campbell. And that inexperienced line must deal with a Clemson defensive line that has NFL talent in Peter Woods and TJ Parker.
Meanwhile, Klubnik will have the benefit of facing a suspect LSU defense. The Bayou Bengals ranked 75th in defensive success rate last season and now must replace all four starters on the defensive line.
So, one way LSU may try to make up for that is by blitzing Klubnik, and his improved touch with his deep ball could burn the Bayou Bengals. Not only should Klubnik use his arm to lead Clemson to a cover but go Over 260.5 passing yards. It's something he did in six of his final nine games last season.
And one of the recipients of those deep balls should be Bryant Wesco. The super sophomore went for 708 yards and five scores as a true freshman he could take another leap in his development this season.
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