Clemson vs SMU ACC Championship Game Pick & Prediction For 12/7/2024

An ACC dynasty will take on the hot newcomers to the conference when Clemson and SMU do battle in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday. The Tigers will look for their eighth conference championship in 10 years, while SMU looks for their first ACC title in their first year in the conference. Clemson is a 2.5-point favorite in this game, while the total stands at 54.5 points. Here, you will find our college football best bets for Clemson vs SMU from Charlotte, NC.

Clemson Looks For Another ACC Title

The Clemson Tigers have dominated the ACC over the last decade, winning the conference title game seven times in the last nine years. They will look for an eighth conference championship in a decade with a win over SMU on Saturday. But Clemson is lucky to even be in the ACC title game, as they needed a Miami loss to Syracuse in the final week of the regular season to lock up their spot in this contest against the Mustangs.

As for Clemson’s performance on the final weekend of regular season action, they lost in a non-conference rivalry game at home to South Carolina. South Carolina is having a terrific year themselves, but Clemson’s offense was disappointing to say the least against the Gamecocks. After scoring just 14 points in a loss to their rivals, the Tigers will need to do more on offense to defeat SMU to win another ACC title.

For Clemson’s offense to get back on track in the biggest game of their season, their running game has to be more effective. Clemson had 139 rushing yards against South Carolina, which pales in comparison to the 267 yards South Carolina gained on the ground. The Tigers will need to do more on the ground to set themselves up with more favorable situations on third downs.

SMU Looks For ACC Championship On First Try

In their first year as an ACC football team, the SMU Mustangs have had a brilliant year. They went 11-1 overall and 8-0 in the ACC to lock up the regular season title in this conference. Now SMU will look to complete a perfect conference season to lock up the ACC championship while making an incredible first impression as a member of this league.

In their final game of the regular season, SMU beat up on the Cal Golden Bears, defeating them 38-6. SMU outgained Cal 415-254 in that contest, taking a 21-0 halftime lead and never looking back. Now the question for SMU is whether or not they can carry the momentum from their perfect last couple of months into this ACC title game and land the first punch against the standard bearers in the ACC.

SMU has averaged 39.2 points per game this season, putting them near the top of the scoring offense charts in FBS football this season. There will understandably be questions about whether or not they can perform at that level offensively against a team like Clemson, though, who not only has an elite defense but has the championship experience needed to win games like this one.

Clemson vs SMU Betting Pick

Based on history alone, the Clemson Tigers have a huge advantage going into this Clemson vs SMU matchup. But based on the way these teams have played this season, we like the SMU Mustangs as an underdog in this contest. We will take the points with the Mustangs, who have been playing better football even if they lack the history the Tigers have in this conference. Look for this one to be tight throughout but for the superiority of the SMU offense to make the difference in the end.

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