Clemson vs. Duke Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 1: Tigers to Make Labor Day Statement

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02 September 2023

Clemson vs. Duke Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 1: Tigers to Make Labor Day Statement

The No. 9 Clemson Tigers play a standalone game on Labor Day Monday against their ACC rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, to bring a close to the Week 1 college football action. Read on for our top Clemson vs. Duke prediction based on the best college football odds.

NeitherClemson nor Alabama are the favorites heading into the regular season for thefirst time in eight years. However, the Tigers won their seventh ACCchampionship in the last eight years, though they missed the College Football Playoff for thesecond consecutive year after making it each of six years prior.

Dukewon nine games a year ago for the first time since doing it in back-to-backseasons in 2013 and 2014. The Blue Devils also clinched a bowl game, a 30-13 victoryover UCF in the Military Bowl, for the first time since 2018.

Clemson won 10 of the last 11 head-to-head meetings, but this is its first timetraveling to Duke since 2012. A win would be head coach DaboSwinney’s 100th in regular-season ACC play.

Hereis our best Clemson vs. Duke prediction andcollege football picks (odds via our bestcollege footballbetting sites]; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Clemson vs. Duke prediction: Week 1

Clemson -12.5 (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐

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In Swinney’s press conference Thursday, he pointed out that the school won 27 conference championships, and those teamstypically took care of business in the season opener, going 24-2-1. That's a pretty solid trend for our college football Week 1 predictions, but let's dive deeper.

Swinneyunderstands he's opposing reigning ACC Coach of the Year, Mike Elko, anddangerous quarterback Riley Leonard, who last year became the first Dukeplayer ever with at least 15 passing touchdowns and 10-plus rushing TDs a season. In addition, Leonard is one of two returning players (QB Bo Nix the other) who passed for 20-plus TDs and ran for at least 13 a year ago.

Clemson may only measure its success by trips to the CFP lately,but an 11-win season is one most teams would beg for, and the Tigers did itwhile having quarterback questions all year. Theunderperforming D.J. Uiagalelei is now at Oregon State, and Cade Klubnik hasthe offense all to himself. Klubnik was the ACC Championship Game MVP with an83.3% completion percentage, 279 yards passing, and a 1-0 TD-INT ratio, relieving struggling Uiagalelei.

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The Tigers return 69% of their total production (64% on offense,75% on defense). Expect new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley to raiseKlubnik’s ceiling considerably after helping guide TCU to the national titlegame last season with a QB (Max Duggan) who wasn't even the starterto begin the year.

Clemson dropped from first to 25th in defensive SP+ last season,but a lot of that was because of a youthful secondary made up ofsophomores who are now seasoned veterans. While Leonard finished fourth in the conference in QBR (73.7)and third in total offensive yards, he was also the team’s leading rusher. Butthat lack of a balanced rushing attack among running backs will let Clemson’sdefense focus more on him.

Take Clemson against the spread with your college football best bets for Week 1.

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Clemson vs. Duke best odds

13 points is not as much of a key number as 14 , but it's still acommon margin of victory, which makes the half-point difference at FanDuel muchmore enticing. We would have laid the extra juice since we'regetting an extra half-point of insurance, but FanDuel charging the standard-110 juice at a lower number is a bonus.

Clemson vs. Duke odds

Interestingly, FD currently has the lowest spread among our best sports betting apps, but was also the only shop to touch a high of -13.5earlier in the week before Duke backers drove the numberdown. Comparatively, DraftKings opened at -12.5 before rising to -13. Wagersare nearly 2/1 (64/36) in favor of the Tigers.

All of our best sports betting sites agree with the total of 55.5,while BetRivers is the only one slightly higher at 56. From a moneylineperspective, Clemson ranges from -450 at BetMGM to -485 at DraftKings. Duke is10-64-1 all-time against AP top-10 opponents, with its last win coming againstthen-No. 7 Clemson in 1989, per the Associated Press.