Clemson at Boston College – Preview and Prediction
CLEMSON 16.5 BOSTON COLLEGE (46)
Implied Projected Score: Clemson 31.25 Boston College 14.75
MEGALOCKS LINE – Clemson -14
The Game
The Clemson Tigers survived an epic battle with the Louisville Cardinals and now have to travel for a Friday night road tilt against Boston College. The Tigers ran their record to 5-0 while the Eagles moved to a 3-2 mark with a 35-3 dismantling of the Buffalo Bulls. It’s hard to know how good this Boston College team really is because their wins have come vs UMass, Buffalo and something called Wagner. They were blown up 49-0 by Virginia Tech on the road.
The Match-Up
Clemson offense vs Boston College defense
The Tigers are going to have their hands full this week with the #1 ranked defense in the FBS. The Eagles were ranked…..let me see…..OH…..#1 in total defense last year as well. We would feel a lot more comfortable if the Clemson running game was churning out the yards like last season but they are only ranked #73 in 2016. They have played some pretty solid run defenses but they are just not getting the big plays like last season. Wayne Gallman looked good vs Louisville but is still only averaging 4.6 yards per carry. We have a feeling that it is going to be the Clemson passing game that gets it done in this one. They have a great set of WRs and Boston College has only been tested one time all year in the secondary and that was during a 49-0 setback at Virginia Tech. The Clemson OL has done a pretty good job in pass protection. We expect a good passing day from Watson. The ground attack is probably not going to work.
Boston College offense vs Clemson defense
This is a bad match-up for the Eagles #HotTake. Their passing game is pretty much non-existent and the Tigers have only given up 3 TDs passing all season. The #1 weapon on offense is RB Jon Hillman who is averaging 3.4 yards per carry. The OL has been allowing TFL like they are going out of style (dead last ACC in TLF per game) and the Clemson DL is fantastic at getting PENETRATION. QB Patrick Towles has been known to be loose with the football so this could get ugly on the offensive side of the ball. We have a hard time seeing BC getting past 10 points without the help of some big plays on special teams or some short fields set up by turnovers. Prognosis: Grim.
MEGA-MAZEMENT !
It is going to be difficult to get up and rolling after that big game vs Louisville.…..Clemson would gladly take a 2-0 win…..BC games are 10-1 to the under L11…..Dog in this series is 8-3 ATS L11.
Summary
A little bit of perceived value with the dog but we are having a hard time imagining BC scoring without some big time magic. Not impossible. But not likely. Letdown spot for the Tigers but it is typically not a good idea to go against Dabo.
Conclusion
Official play: None.
Lean: Under any number 45 or better.