This is quite the spot for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.
The Tigers have won their last two games, albeit against Georgia Southern and UNC, after getting their doors blown off by LSU in Week 1, but they now travel across the country on short rest to take on California in a pivotal ACC battle.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Clemson has a season-defining showdown against Miami on deck.
All of this adds up to Clemson sitting as a 1.5-point favorite over the Golden Bears on Friday night.
Clemson vs. Cal odds, prediction
Both of these teams are coming into this contest riding two-game winning streaks, but neither has looked good in those performances.
The Golden Bears benefited from three interceptions, including a pick-six, against Syracuse, and they also survived a missed field goal in the waning moments of the game. A win is a win, but that performance won’t have bettors lining up to back Cal.
The same can be said of Clemson’s latest win, too.
The Tigers caught a huge break thanks to a weather delay in their 28-20 win over UNC in Week 3. At the time, Clemson was down 17-15 halfway through the fourth quarter, and the Tar Heels looked primed to put the game away. Instead, the Tigers took over the game after the delay and secured a season-saving win.
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As ugly as it’s looked for Clemson, the wins over UNC and Georgia Southern did bring forward a couple of encouraging developments. The defense has righted the ship since their 51-10 loss at LSU in Week 1, and the offense looks slightly better with Tait Reynolds under center.
That isn’t going to turn Clemson into a College Football Playoff contender, but it should help them get the job done against the Bears, who are waiting for quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele to find his form from 2025.
The Play: Clemson moneyline (-110, bet365)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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