Clemson vs. NC State picks and best bets for Week 4

The middle of the Saturday afternoon slate will bring us to the Carolinas as the No. 9 Clemson Tigers will travel to Raleigh to meet an ACC Atlantic foe in the NC State Wolfpack in their annual Textile Bowl rivalry. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Clemson (2-1, 1-0 ACC) hasn’t quite looked right in the post-Trevor Lawrence era so far and last week’s ugly 14-8 win over Georgia Tech exemplified. The Tigers only had one sustained touchdown drive in the entire contest with the other coming from great field position gained as a result of a Tech fumble. Clemson is only averaging 4.8 yards per play this season as compared to 6.7 in 2020. It’s still early but the Tigers are hoping to see an uptick in production as they start to get into ACC play.

NC State (2-1) has been world beaters against inferior competition so far this season, absolutely obliterating USF and Furman so far this year. Their one blemish however is a 24-10 loss at Mississippi State in Week 2, one in which they couldn’t establish any semblance of a run game and turned the bowl over three times. Facing a step up in talent from State, the Devin Leary led squad is seeking a better performance in front of their home fans.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Clemson: 5th overall, 15th offense, 4th defense
NC State: 36th overall, 58th offense, 23rd defense

Injury update

Clemson

DT Tyler Davis Mid Nov – Bicep

CB Fred Davis II Out Indefinitely – Bicep

OL Mason Trotter Ques Sat – Hand

LB Baylon Spector Ques

OG Tayquon Johnson Out For Season – Pectoral

OL Dietrick Pennington Out For Season – Knee

LB Jake Venables Ques – Hamstring

NC State

LB Payton Wilson Out For Season – Shoulder

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Clemson: 0-3 ATS
NC State: 2-1 ATS

Total

Clemson: Over 0-3
NC State: Over 1-2

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Clemson: 6th overall, 12th offense, 5th defense
NC State: 29th overall, 16th offense, 15th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Clemson -10
Total: 48
Moneyline: Clemson -400, NC State +300

Opening line: Clemson -12.5
Opening total: 47.5

Weather

78 degrees, 5 MPH wind NW, 6% chance of rain

The Pick

NC State +10

NC State hasn’t toppled Clemson since 2011 and if there’s an opportunity to bring the fight to Dabo Swinney’s group, it’s now. As mentioned before, the DJ Uiagalelei-led Clemson offense is still trying to find their footing and a raucous crowd in Raleigh will make that task even more difficult. If Leary and company can string some good drives together on offense early, they’ll have the juice to at least cover at home.

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