Clemson’s betting odds to make playoffs take a hit, but they’re still pretty strong
Clemson fell to Georgia in the 2021 season opener 10-3, which took a toll on the Tigers’ odds to make the College Football Playoffs and win a national championship. All hope isn’t lost, though.
This week ESPN Chalk gambling writer David Purdum joined us to discuss where the Tigers stand in the eyes of oddsmakers and what the team can do to keep their playoff streak alive.
NOTE: Some answers have been edited for length and clarity.
The State: How did Clemson’s loss to Georgia affect its national championship odds?
David Purdum: “It did decrease Clemson’s championship odds. I’m going to look at Caesars Sportsbook here. It made an adjustment. Clemson went from 4-to-1 before Saturday’s loss to Georgia and now they’re 7-to-1. That still breaks them in the top five or six teams in there, but they are behind the Oklahomas, the Ohio States, the Alabamas, of course, the Georgias and even Texas A&M is narrowing on them. They’re not quite behind them yet.”
TS: As far as the College Football Playoff, what are Clemson’s chances now for that?
DP: “Those are kind of reflected in those national championship odds. They’re still a top-tier contender, according to oddsmakers. They don’t have any specific odds to make the playoff. However, they do have to win the ACC and they’re still a very commanding favorite to win the ACC. ... They don’t have much strength of schedule left to play against in the ACC, but they are the overall favorite there. So, we’ll have to see if they can win the ACC if they can get in (to the playoff).”
TS: Is there a way to gauge how much money was won or lost on the Georgia-Clemson game?
DP: “The betting on it turned out to be pretty even. There was some line movement throughout the week. Georgia kicked off as a 2½-point underdog. They had been as high as 3½ earlier in the week, so some of the money that came in on the Bulldogs influenced the oddsmakers and bookmakers to kind of drop that line, and it turned out to be the right side there with Georgia winning.”
TS: This week, Clemson plays South Carolina State. Can people expect it to be in the 40 or 50 ranges like so many of the FCS games of the last week?
DP: “It’ll certainly be up there for sure. Those lines won’t come out until the end of the week.”
Editor’s note: The lines for the game as of Friday were in the 50-point range in favor of Clemson.
TS: Moving forward, will there be another heavily-betted game on Clemson’s schedule? If so, what would it be?
DP: “I’m sure Clemson will always be a factor in the championship for sure, for now. N.C. State is a team that kind of raised some eyebrows and looked impressive their first week. Clemson is at N.C. State in a couple weeks, Sept. 25. I assume that’ll attract some interest. The Florida State game will probably attract some interest. Florida State looked pretty good against Notre Dame, but they held in there and came back, so that’ll be one. Then of course, the in-state rival, South Carolina, is always an interesting one towards the end of the year, but again, their schedule is weak. They’re really going to have to be impressive in these games to get the kind of respect it can get going into the ACC championship game.”
TS: Looking at quarterbacks, many of the ones that played that had the best Heisman odds struggled in their season openers, Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei included. What do those odds look like now across the board as far as the Heisman?
DP: “We had a change atop the favorites. Bryce Young, the Alabama quarterback, was so impressive he overtook the Oklahoma quarterback, Spencer Rattler, as the Heisman favorite now. Bryce Young is about 4-to-1 to win the Heisman trophy. Some of the other guys have dropped back to about 9-to-1. D.J. went from 8-to-1 to 15-to-1 after his disappointing performance against Georgia, so he’s now in the second tier of guys.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2021 at 3:55 PM.
