ACC play is here in Death Valley as Syracuse visits Clemson on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers are off to a 1-2 start and dropped their conference opener. They will try to turn things around against a Syracuse team that hasn’t had a great start themselves. Here, I break down this matchup in the ACC and give you my Syracuse vs Clemson prediction for this weekend.
Our Syracuse vs Clemson Pick
- Pick: Clemson -17.5
- Confidence: 3/5
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Syracuse Orange vs Clemson Tigers
- Date & Time: Saturday, September 20, 2025, 12:00 PM ET
- Venue: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
- Broadcast: ESPN
Syracuse vs Clemson Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Clemson -17.5 | Clemson -1000 / Syracuse +550 | 55.5 |
Key Storylines
- Clemson has lost both of their games to power conference opponents this year. They fell at home against LSU in their opener before losing to Georgia Tech on the road last week. The Tigers are favorites to get back to .500 this week but they are struggling early in the season.
- Syracuse is 2-1 but they have not looked good at all. They lost their opener to Tennessee before beating UConn in overtime and blowing out FCS Colgate. Syracuse has not looked good against a quality opponent yet.
Quarterback Play
Cade Klubnik’s start to this season has been mediocre at best. Klubnik has three touchdown passes and three interceptions through the first three weeks of the season. He is averaging 211 passing yards per game and that is not going to be enough if he is going to lead Clemson to a respectable 2025 season.
Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli has exceeded 1,000 passing yards to this point in the season. He has put the ball in the air over 40 times per game and has eight touchdown passes to two interceptions. The question will be whether or not Angeli can deliver in this game against the best defensive team he’s faced so far this year.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Clemson leads the all-time series 10-2 against Syracuse. The Tigers have won six straight games over the Orange.
- Clemson is 0-3 against the spread so far this season. Syracuse is 1-1-1 ATS on the year.
- Syracuse is 2-1 to the over to start the year. Clemson has stayed under the total in all three of their games.
Syracuse vs Clemson Model Projection
Score Projection: Syracuse 20 – Clemson 41
Win Probability: Syracuse 27%, Clemson 73%
Final Thoughts
This is a crucial game for Clemson, as any additional losses would certainly keep them out of the College Football Playoff. The margin for error for Dabo Swinney’s team is virtually zero going into this contest. I expect the Tigers to respond to their recent adversity and to win big against a Syracuse team that has looked horrible against FBS competition so far this year. I’ll lay the points with Clemson and for both of these teams to be 2-2 by the end of Saturday’s game.
