Georgia vs. Clemson Final Score Prediction for College Football Week 1

Iain MacMillan | Aug 29, 2024

The Black team takes the field before the start of the G-Day spring football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

The National Championship favorite Georgia Bulldogs will open their 2024 college football campaign with a showdown in Week 1 against the Clemson Tigers.

Clemson will look to begin their journey back to being considered a force to be reckoned with. Oddsmakers have little faith in them being in the picture to win the national championship as they're being given just 40-1 odds to win it all this season. They can turn that narrative around in a hurry with a big upset win against the Bulldogs in Week 1.

Let's take a look at the betting odds for this must-watch matchup and then I'll attempt to predict the exact final score of the game.

Georgia vs. Clemson Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread:

• Clemson +13.5 (-106)
• Georgia -13.5 (-114)

Moneyline:

• Clemson +440
• Georgia -610

Total:

• OVER 48.5 (-114)
• UNDER 48.5 (-106)

The Bulldogs are set as favorites of just under two touchdowns with a 13.5-point spread. When it comes to simply winning the game, their -610 moneyline odds means they have an implied probability of victory of 85.92%, leaving little chance for the Tigers to pull off the upset.

The Bulldogs will look to get their season started off on the right foot with a win over the No. 14 ranked team in the country. Their next game against a ranked opponent will be the big Week 5 matchup with Alabama, who enters the season ranked as the No. 5 team in the country.

Clemson vs. Georgia Final Score Prediction

Our College Football betting expert, Reed Wallach, broke down his best bet for the game in his betting preview here. He's taking the national championship favorite Bulldogs to win and cover this spread:

Clemson may be improved on the offensive side of the ball in 2024, up from 91st in yards per play and EPA/Play, but the team is running into a buzzsaw when the team faces the betting favorite to win the National Championship in Georgia.

The Tigers offensive line is going to struggle to contain the Bulldogs and move the ball efficiently. Clemson ranked 94th in tackles for loss allowed and now face a vaunted defensive line that are 12th in yards per play.

Georgia showcased an ability to test even the best defenses, scoring 27 or more in all but two games last season. Beck and co. led an incredibly potent offensive attack that was fifth in EPA/Play and scored nearly four points per drive.

Clemson may make strides on the offensive side of the ball, but this is a tough task in a semi-neutral game in Atlanta against arguably the best defense in the country.

The Bulldogs haven’t lost a regular season game since 2020, and I think the team can dominate on Saturday.

Much like Wallach, I have no interest in betting against the Bulldogs in Week 1 of what will likely be a season where they go deep in the College Football Playoff. But, what about the total? The Georgia defense is going to prove to be troublesome for the Clemson offense and that may be enough to keep the total of this game UNDER the set number of 48.5

Final Score Prediction: Georgia 31, Clemson 14

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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