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Clemson vs. SMU Prediction & Picks: ACC Championship

Brenden Schaeffer

Last Updated: December 6, 2024 4:09 PM EST • 3 min 1 sec read.

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers, and we offer our top Clemson vs. SMU prediction for the ACC Championship game.
Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Photo by Charles LeClaire via Imagn Images.

SMU’s perfect ACC season is on the line Saturday as the Mustangs need to knock off Clemson to ensure the CFP committee won’t have any Alabama-related funny business at their expense in the final rankings reveal.

Our Clemson vs. SMU prediction believes the Tigers’ elite balance and edge in the passing game will be used to establish a path for an upset in the ACC Championship.

Clemson and SMU (-2.5) face off at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday at 8 pm. ET (ABC), and this is just a taste of what you can find from our college football championship week predictions.

To see how the outlook for this game has changed throughout the week, be sure to look back at our Clemson vs. SMU early picks.

Clemson vs. SMU prediction & best pick

College football picks based on the odds from our best college football betting sites. Odds subject to change.

  • Against the spread pick: Clemson +2.5 () vs. SMU ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • My best pick: Cade Klubnik Over 247.5 passing yards (-115 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clemson vs. SMU ATS prediction: ACC Championship

Clemson to cover the spread: +2.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -110 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 52.38%

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SMU rides into the ACC Championship as the winner of nine straight games during a perfect conference slate. But its ability to consistently blow out low-quality opponents isn’t enough for me to like the Mustangs in this matchup against the most balanced foe they’ll have faced all year.

Clemson’s balance could stymie the Mustangs

SMU faced only two teams this season with top-25 adjusted offensive efficiencies, losing to BYU and beating Louisville in a shootout while allowing 461 yards of total offense.

The Mustangs lean on their passing offense, but they haven’t been challenged by many defenses like Clemson.

The Tigers will be only the second defense ranked in the top 20 in adjusted efficiency that the Mustangs will have faced. The other was Duke, which ranks 89th in adjusted offensive efficiency - yet SMU needed overtime to beat the Blue Devils.

Ranked seventh in AdjO and 17th in AdjD, Clemson packs a punch on both sides of the ball unlike anything SMU has faced this year.

I look for the Tigers to expose SMU’s undefeated ACC campaign as the luck of the scheduling draw after the Mustangs avoided Miami (10-2), Syracuse (9-3), and Clemson (9-3) during the season.

Clemson vs. SMU best pick

Our NEW college football player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

Cade Klubnik Over 247.5 passing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -115 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 53.49%

Though recent weeks have featured the Mustangs holding down opposing passing attacks beyond their usual tendencies, SMU hasn’t faced a team ranked inside the top 50 in adjusted offensive efficiency since Oct. 5.

Klubnik should exploit SMU’s pass funnel defense

SMU ranks 92nd in pass defense, allowing 240 passing yards per game to its opponents. Cade Klubnik should see Clemson’s offensive game plan tilt toward reliance on his arm as SMU has the ninth-ranked rushing defense in the country.

BetMGM lists the prop at 247.5 yards, which provides a considerable edge over the rest of our best sports betting apps. Most sportsbooks have this prop listed from 259.5 to 261.5. We are willing to play this up to 264.5 yards.

Clemson vs. SMU odds

See all of this week's college football odds and NCAAF scores.

Clemson vs. SMU live odds

Clemson vs. SMU opening odds:

  • Clemson: -1.5 (-115)
  • SMU: +1.5 (-105)

Clemson vs. SMU game info

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 7
  • Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
  • Where: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.)
  • How to watch: ABC
  • Weather: 39 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, wind 7 mph SW
  • Favorite: SMU -2.5 (-108 via DraftKings)

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Written By:
Brenden Schaeffer
Brenden has covered the St. Louis Cardinals as a credentialed baseball writer for KMOV-TV since 2016. His sports writing has appeared in outlets including the Austin American-Statesman and Columbia Daily Tribune. Since 2021, Brenden has co-hosted 'The Big Show' during the afternoon drive for KTGR, the ESPN radio affiliate in Columbia, MO. He has appeared on radio stations around the country, including KMOX, and hosts a daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast. In the sports betting content space, Brenden has covered the NFL, college football, NBA, and college basketball for outlets including SBR since 2019. For his football handicapping, Brenden looks to target NFL player prop markets as well as sharp underdog lines in college football. Brenden looks to reference FanDuel for his sports betting articles because of its consistently competitive odds on parlays. FanDuel's boost offerings are also customer-friendly, and its odds on the NFL Same Game Parlay articles he's written for SBR have historically been consistently competitive compared to other books.