Clemson vs South Carolina Prediction: Who Wins and Why?

Clemson and South Carolina square off in one of Death Valley’s best college football rivalries on Saturday, with both hoping to make one last good impression on the College Football Playoff selection committee. Here’s what to watch for in the match with our updated match prediction.

Clemson enters this weekend ranked second in the ACC, but must win this game and hope Miami loses against Syracuse to secure a spot in the conference championship against SMU the weekend after that.

South Carolina is out of any SEC title picture, but is playing inspired football, winning five straight games, including against two ranked opponents, and at No. 15 in the committee’s recent rankings, it’s also in position to make a playoff run . race, provided it gets a lot of outside help.

What can we expect when the Gamecocks and Tigers meet in the Palmetto Bowl this weekend?

Here’s what to watch for when Clemson and South Carolina meet in this Week 14 college football rivalry game with our updated matchup prediction.

1. On the line. South Carolina is still one of the best defensive fronts in the nation, ranking second in the FBS with 39 total sacks and averaging 3.55 sacks per game and is in the top 15 in nationally with 81 tackles for loss and 7.36 negative plays created per game.

Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart are the Gamecocks’ dynamic duo off the edge, coming in for 25 tackles and 19 sacks this season, and could find some angles against Clemson’s offensive line, allowing nearly 6 tackles for loss per game but just over 1 sack each time. outside.

2. On the ground. Clemson is respectable against the rush this season, allowing opposing quarterbacks an average of 4.36 yards per carry and surrendering 11 rushing touchdowns, but looked sloppy last week against The Citadel, allowing 288 yards on the ground , despite the large gain.

This could be a signal for Raheim Sanders to have a productive day. South Carolina’s leading back has scored 6 of his 11 touchdowns during the team’s back-to-back wins and averages nearly 6 yards per carry against AP-ranked teams, but has seen his production fall below 100 yards in the past two games.

Clemson’s front seven has been strong, but its performance against the run is a relative weakness. They rank 10th in the ACC in allowing quarterbacks nearly 140 yards per game, and the Gamecocks are among the SEC’s best rushing attacks, averaging over 180 yards.

3. Turnover. Clemson has been able to win the battle against turnovers this season, while South Carolina has been a little more generous with the football at times this year.

Clemson is plus-13 in turnover margin, ranking third nationally, while Carolina is plus-3, but has been on the wrong side of that number over the past month, going 5-4 with 2 turnovers against to Wofford last week.

Clemson has forced 7 takeaways in their last 3 games, while the Gamecocks have turned the ball over 17 times overall, 9 of those coming in turnovers.

Clemson is a 2.5-point favorite against South Carolina, according to updated lines posted on FanDuel Sportsbook this week.

FanDuel lists the total at 49.5 points for the game (Over -102, Under -120).

And he set the money line odds for Clemson at -140 and South Carolina at +116 to win outright.

Clemson is gaining confidence running the ball and plays a balanced offense, but played things a little closer than expected against some of the ACC’s very average teams.

If moose really exists in football, South Carolina has it. And it’s no accident: this defense really brings consistent and damaging pressure against opposing quarterbacks.

And that production is backed by an improved offensive effort led by dual-threat quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who is averaging nearly 40 points per game during his winning streak.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik has played some of his best football this year and has some mobility to exploit that can extend plays.

But the left side of his line is dealing with injuries that severely expose his blindside against one of the nation’s most feared edge rushes.

Klubnik was sacked 9 times in 2 games against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh without the left tackle and guard in the rotation. That’s a problem.

Combine that with the Gamecocks’ recent offensive confidence and a secondary that has been getting their hands on the ball lately, and this looks like an upset.

College Headquarters Football Select…

More… Clemson vs. Score Prediction. South Carolina modeled after expert football

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1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Miami
7. Georgia
8. Tennessee
9. SMU
10. Indian
11. Boise State
12. Clemson
13. Alabama
14. Oh miss
15. South Carolina
16. Arizona State
17. Tulane
18. Iowa State
19. BYU
20. Texas A&M
21. Missouri
22. UNLV
23. Illinois
24. Kansas State
25. COLORADO

Playoff ranking is not necessarily the same as top 25 in the CFP rankings, as some teams will receive higher seeds as conference champions

Goodbye from the first round

No. 1 Oregon
Projected Big Ten champion

No. 2 Texas
Projected SEC champion

No. 3 Miami
ACC Projected Champion

No. 4 Boise State
Projected Mountain West Champion

First round games

No. 12 Arizona State at
No. 5 Ohio State
The winner plays No. 4 Boise State

No. 9 Tennessee at
No. 8 Georgia
The winner plays No. 1 Oregon

No. 11 Indiana at
No. 6 Penn State
The winner plays No. 3 Miami

No. 10 SMU at
No. 7 Notre Dame
The winner plays No. 2 Texas

The first team out: Clemson

Second team out: Alabama

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When: Saturday, November 30
Where: Clemson, SC

Time: 12:00 PM Eastern
TV: ESPN Network

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Game odds are periodically updated and subject to change.

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