Florida State is hoping to salvage their season with an upset win over Clemson. Here is how to bet the game on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Clemson (-14.5) vs. Florida State o/u 48
Clemson Team Breakdown
It has been a strange season for Clemson. They began their season by losing to Georgia 34-3 and were mostly written off after that dreadful performance. In three games since then, they have averaged 55 PPG with an average margin of victory of 32 PPG. Granted, all three games have been at home against subpar opponents but the offense has looked dramatically improved even compared to last season, let alone the Georgia game.
This game will be a good measuring stick to see where the Clemson offense really stands. They have played one elite defense and couldn’t do anything and then dominated three bad defenses. Despite how poorly Florida State has played this season, they have athletes who are much closer to Georgia’s defense than they are to App State or Stanford’s defense. They just don’t play anywhere near as well as a unit or have the same depth or coaching.
Florida State Team Breakdown
It has been a disaster of a season for Florida State. After a terrible start to the year, they finally scraped out a home win against Cal before immediately regressing again and getting blown out by SMU. However, Florida State is making a big change at quarterback ahead of this game. DJ Uiagalelei transferred in during the offseason to lead this team and his play has been nothing short of disastrous. He has a 4-6 TD-INT ratio and has completely lost the running aspect of his game that worked effectively at Oregon State last season.
DJ Uiagalelei is hurt but there is a chance Mike Norvell was ready to make a change anyway. Florida State is turning to Brock Glenn, who started the ACC Championship Game and Orange Bowl for the Seminoles last season after Jordan Travis got injured. Glenn did not play great in those games but he was a true freshman who was thrust into that spot unexpectedly after a star quarterback went down. In this spot, he has had a full offseason to prepare to take over this job in the future and has real game experience. Also, the team and fanbase are excited about him stepping in rather than being upset that they lost their starter.
Pick and Prediction
Florida State’s advantage going into this game is a revamped offense under Brock Glenn at QB. That means they will run an offense that is completely unknown to Clemson. Brock Glenn was a highly-rated high school prospect and should be much more effective throwing down the field than DJ Uiagalelei has been this season. Mike Norvell will undoubtedly be coming up with new concepts to confuse the Clemson defense and try to create some explosive plays which they have been lacking all season.
Statistically, Florida State hardly has any advantages against Clemson. However, they do have an advantage in one important area. Their early down defense has been pretty good and teams have needed an average of 7.8 yards on 3rd downs, the 29th-best mark in the country. Early down offense is an area that Clemson has struggled in as they have needed an average of 7.68 yards on 3rd downs, the 102nd-best mark in the country. If Florida State can use that advantage and force Clemson into 3rd and longs, their defense should be able to hold up reasonably well.
If this Florida State team and their fanbase are ever going to find a spark, this would be the game. Clemson coming to town is a huge game and the change at quarterback could bring the fresh energy that everyone in Tallahassee has been looking for. Clemson has dominated their last three opponents. With how bad Florida State has been this season, they might come into this game with their guard down. Between the spot and the fresh spark on offense, I will roll with Florida State to keep this within two touchdowns.
Best Bet: Florida State +14.5
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