This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: Clemson vs. Pittsburgh
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The Clemson Tigers travel to Pittsburgh, PA, this week to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in what looks to be an elimination game for the ACC title. Two weeks ago, neither of these teams had a single loss in conference, but fast forward a couple of weeks, and the situation looks much different. Now, each team needs a win here to keep up with SMU, which sits atop the ACC.
Clemson vs. Pittsburgh Betting Odds for Week 12
Spread: Clemson -12.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook); Pittsburgh +12.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: Under 52.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook), Over 52.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Clemson -400 (BetMGM), Pittsburgh +370 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Clemson opened -9.5, and that spread has continued to grow since. The total has dropped about four points since opening at 56.5, and it doesn't appear to be weather-related, as the forecast looks fine.
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Clemson vs. Pittsburgh Betting Picks for Week 12
As mentioned earlier, this matchup looked a lot different a few weeks ago as Pittsburgh had yet to drop a game and Clemson's only loss was against Georgia in week 1. Since then however, Clemson dropped a home game against Louisville, and Pittsburgh lost at SMU and at home against Virginia.
Clemson struggled in its opening-week loss against Georgia, managing just three points while allowing 34. After that, however, the Tigers ripped off a string of double-digit wins, which ran from week two through week nine. While Clemson looked the part during this stretch, the level of competition certainly played a part. It's hard to even pick out the best win of the bunch, as all the teams were average at best, with stress on "at best." To their credit, however, the Tigers showed some resolve by bouncing back from their loss against Louisville with a nice 10-point win at Virginia Tech this past week.
Much like Clemson, Pittsburgh spent the early part of its season beating up on weak competition. Although the Panther's schedule was slightly more challenging, there weren't really any wins that stood out. Unlike Clemson, Pittsburgh was not getting a lot of separation, which is part of why we are seeing the Tigers as the big road favorite this week. Pittsburgh had a reality check two weeks ago at SMU, and unlike Clemson, the Panthers were not able to bounce back after a loss, and their losing streak now stands at two games entering this week.
A look at the numbers shows a well-balanced Clemson team on offense, ranking in the top 25 in yards gained both through the air and on the ground. The Tigers are also balanced on defense, though not quite as good, ranking 55th against the pass and 44th against the run.
Pittsburgh does not have such balance on defense, ranking 114th against the pass and 14th against the run. A similar story of imbalance on offense, ranking 22nd through the air and 74th on the ground.
It's obvious that Clemson will have a big advantage throwing the ball this week against a weak Panther's pass defense, and Cade Klubnik and crew should be able to take advantage. The only question is, can the Tigers get enough separation to stay on top of this number? Pittsburgh has lost its mojo on offense as the competition has improved, and that's a problem this week. Clemson is going to score points, and Pittsburgh's only hope is to keep up, but the offense has started to falter over the past two weeks, so I don't see that happening.
Clemson vs. Pittsburgh Expert Pick: Clemson -12.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Clemson vs. Pittsburgh Predictions for Week 12
Clemson should win this game with relative ease, but how the Tigers get there depends on the start of this game. If Clemson gets out to an early lead, this could be a blowout, as Pittsburgh is in the midst of a tailspin that could get out of control with a poor start. If Pittsburgh starts well, then we could have a bit of a shootout, but either way, Clemson should find enough separation to cover this number.
Expect Clemson to throw early and often, finding plenty of success along the way. Pittsburgh will try to keep up through the air, but as mentioned previously, there's something wrong with the offense right now, so mistakes will likely happen and have a huge impact on the outcome of this game.
Clemson 38 - Pittsburgh 21
