Clemson Tigers Football 2020 Betting Preview

What are the odds that the Clemson Tigers win their division, the ACC and the National Championship in 2020? We break it all down and tell you the best bets.

Frankie Taddeo | May 12, 2020

Clemson fell short in the national championship game, but for the second straight year, the Tigers enter the season as the top-ranked team in the Vegas oddsmakers’ power rankings. Clemson returns six starters on each side of the ball including one of the favorites to win the Heisman in quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Since the start of 2015, Clemson has gone 38-2 in conference play and finished each season ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring margin. They will need to find a replacement for star defensive player Isaiah Simmons, who was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

Trevor Lawrence? Justin Fields? D’Eriq King? Someone else?

Who's the best bet to go No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft? https://t.co/rdxd2dsg3A
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 2, 2020

Lawrence, the second choice in Heisman Trophy betting odds, returns for another year as Clemson’s signal caller. AllClemson Maven Zach Lentz believes it's a foregone conclusion that the Tigers will return to the College Football Playoff for their fourth time in 2020 with a bold statement that there should be consideration for a name to the “Clemson Invitational.”

Clemson is a prohibitive favorite to win the 2020 ACC Championship Game, given -560 odds at DraftKings sportsbook. No team in the country is more heavily favored to win its respective division at odds of -3,335.

2020 Clemson Win Total Odds

It's no surprise that Clemson’s 2020 season win total odds have them heavily favored to find themselves in position for another National Championship. The oddsmakers are not leaving any room for error as this market demands an undefeated 12-0 campaign in order to cash.

2020 Clemson Tigers Schedule

Week 1 - Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech

Week 2 - Sept. 12 vs Louisville

Week 3 - Sept. 19 vs. Akron

Week 4 - Sept. 26 vs. Virginia

Week 5 - Oct. 2 at Boston College

Week 6 - Oct. 10 at Florida State

Week 7 - Oct. 17 vs NC State

Week 8 - Oct. 24 vs Syracuse

Week 9 - Nov. 7 at Notre Dame

Week 10 - Nov. 14 vs The Citadel

Week 11 - Nov. 21 at Wake Forest

Week 12 - Nov. 28 vs. South Carolina

The oddsmakers have them as massive 23.5-point favorites playing host to Louisville. In mid-October, they will take on the NC State Wolfpack who have lost 15 of their last 16 versus the Tigers and have not won in Death Valley since 2002. Their Week 9 tilt with Notre Dame will be arguably their biggest challenge of the regular season. This may be the most anticipated college football game of the 2020 season with the oddsmakers having them listed as 7.5-point road favorites against a Fighting Irish squad that has posted double-digit wins three consecutive years.

Clemson Odds to Win ACC Atlantic Division

Clemson is a massive favorite in the odds to win the ACC Atlantic Division. If you prefer the Tigers’ odds of being the class of the division in 2020, this market comes with a steep price. As opposed to laying -134 on an undefeated season in the win total market, the -3335 odds posted here requires that you need to wager $3,335 to win a mere $100. Let’s just say “pass” with relative ease to any consideration on an investment on the Tigers in this market.

Clemson Odds to Win Atlantic Coast Conference

With projections that envision an undefeated regular season, the sportsbooks are asking for tremendous juice once again in regards to this market. In order to wager on Clemson to win the ACC Championship game, bettors will need to risk $560 to win $100. Unless you're a believer in one of the other schools at attractive odds, this market is another complete stay-away from a value perspective.

Clemson Odds to Make 2020-21 College Football Playoff

The oddsmakers have Clemson (-670) the most likely squad to be a playoff team in 2020. It should be noted that only three schools listed in this market come without plus-odds on the “Yes” (Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama).

#CLEMMYs Winners! 🐅🐾

RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE

And the award goes to ... Travis Etienne for becoming the ACC Career Touchdown Leader!@swaggy_t1 @ClemsonFB | #CLEMMYs pic.twitter.com/gY43IK6vtq
— Clemson Athletics (@ClemsonTigers) May 1, 2020

Odds for Clemson Players to Win 2020 Heisman Trophy

As we have previously highlighted here at SI Gambling, Clemson currently has three players listed in the Heisman Trophy odds at William Hill: quarterback Trevor Lawrence (4/1), running back Travis Etienne (22/1) and wide receiver Justyn Ross (150/1). The star signal-caller passed for 3,665 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2019 while completing nearly 66% of his passes. Etienne already holds several Clemson and ACC rushing records, including touchdowns with 56. Of the three, perhaps the most intriguing from a longshot perspective is Ross, who hauled in a team-high 66 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He showed potential dominance in the 2018 College Football Playoff, combining to catch 12 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns in wins over Notre Dame and Alabama.

Clemson Odds to Win 2020-21 College Football Playoff

After diving in deeper, I believe it’s fair to land on a 2020 projection of a 12-0 record. I do believe odds of +250 to win the College Football Playoff offers value to attract a wager thanks to the ability thanks to Lawrence under center. Winning the ACC (-560) appears to be a solid investment as well, however due to my disdain for laying heavy chalk, laying this kind of juice is not something I'm comfortable doing.

If you believe in Clemson making it to the National Championship, that means you believe in Lawrence being the one who leads them there. I would prefer to back the star quarterback in the Heisman market at 4/1 as opposed to the lower return of +250 as well as the added likely risk of needing to beat Ohio State or Alabama in order to cash the ticket.

The Plays: Season Wins Total OVER 11.5 (-134) & Trevor Lawrence Heisman Trophy (4/1)

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Published May 12, 2020

FRANKIE TADDEO

Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Besides contributing NFL fantasy analysis with a Vegas slant, Frankie primarily performs as Sports Illustrated's Senior Betting Analyst providing his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene.