College Football Predictions: WVU vs. Clemson Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Wednesday, 04 January 2012 16:44

Our Orange Bowl predictions will help make sense of today’s game between WVU and Clemson.

The #22 WVU Mountaineers (9-3) and the #14 Clemson Tigers (10-3) will meet up in the Orange Bowl today, and our predictions will try to figure out this college football game.  5Dimes Sportsbook has the Orange Bowl odds favoring Clemson at -3 on the point spread, while the total has been bet up to 62.5 after starting off much lower at 57.

Clemson actually opened up as a 3.5-point favorite in the Orange Bowl but have surprisingly been bet down half a point despite college football wager-tracking websites showing that the Tigers are garnering close to 70% of the action.  These two squads haven’t met up since 1989 when Clemson won 27-7 on the road as a 7-point favorite.  The Tigers are just 2-3 on the road this year while WVU is 4-1 when having to travel.

WVU’s Offense vs. Clemson’s Defense:

The Mountaineers are averaging 34.9 points per game, and much of it is due to a passing attack that goes off for 341.8 yards on average.  Quarterback Geno Smith (3978 yards, 65.0%, 25 TD, 7 INT) seems to have mastered the new offense and WVU can put up points in a hurry.  The easiest way to slow down this offense is for the opposing team to run the ball at will in an effort to keep the Mountaineers off the field, and I’m not convinced that Clemson is the team to do that.  The Tigers’ defense has had their issues this season and I don’t trust them to stop WVU.

Clemson’s Offense vs. WVU’s Defense:

The Tigers average 33.6 points per game while utilizing a nice mix of the run and the pass, but they have been extremely inconsistent.  Quarterback Tajh Boyd (3578 yards, 60.4%, 31 TD, 11 INT) has been a nice playmaker, but he’s also turned the ball over far too often.  WVU’s defense is solid but they are at their best when the offense has the lead and the defenders are able to pin their ears back.  Clemson has the offense to score some points and keep pace in the Orange Bowl, making the situation far from ideal for the Mountaineers.

WVU vs. Clemson Predictions in the Orange Bowl:

I don’t think that either of these defenses can handle the opposing offenses here, and my predictions for the Orange Bowl will be for the total to exceed the odds.  Figuring out the winner in this one in tough, but ultimately I believe that Clemson’s rushing attack will be the deciding factor.  Look for the Tigers to defeat WVU by a small margin, but predictions on the best bet have to bet on the over.

Bet on the 2011 Orange Bowl game between WVU and Clemson at 5Dimes Sportsbook and receive a 50% cash bonus on top of the amount you had planned to wager on!  Simply click on our link to claim your free money!

WVU 34

Clemson 37