Clemson vs. Miami expert game picks, predictions

Expert prediction for Clemson vs. Miami by the college football computer analytic model that picks game winners

Two teams looking to avoid falling further into the bottom half of the ACC standings look to get a leg up in this conference game as Clemson goes on the road against Miami in college football's Week 8 action on Saturday.

Clemson was off last week and sits at 4-2 overall with a 2-2 mark in conference play after important wins over Syracuse and Wake Forest, posting over 437 yards per game and playing strong defense at the line of scrimmage, especially against the run, surrendering under 90 yards on average.

Miami's season took a bad turn two weeks ago after a coaching blunder that turned into a loss against underdog Georgia Tech, followed by a 10-point defeat at North Carolina that dropped the Hurricanes to 0-2 in conference play.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Clemson vs. Miami picks, predictions

Clemson vs. Miami picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Clemson odds: The computers are siding with the Tigers, but by a close margin, forecasting they have a 52.6 percent probability to win the game, coming out ahead in 10,520 of the 20,000 simulations they use to pick game winners.

Miami odds: That leaves the Hurricanes as the projected winner in the remaining 47.4 percent of simulations, or the other 9,480 predictions.

Point spread: Clemson is a 3.5 point favorite against Miami, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook, which set the total at 48.5 points for the game.

Clemson predictions: No change for the Tigers in the index's 133 team rankings this week, staying put at No. 18, and forecasting the team to be 15.2 points better than an average opponent, and expected to win 7.9 games this season.

Miami predictions: Down 2 spots after the loss at Carolina, the Hurricanes sit at No. 21 nationally, a projected 13.1 points better than average opponents, and estimated to win 7.9 games this season.

Score prediction? By taking the index's projections of how much each team is expected to win by against "average opponents," and by taking the difference between those two numbers, the computer predicts that Clemson will defeat Miami by 2.1 points in the game.

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.

Teams are ranked not in order of talent like in other rankings, but by a projected point margin per game against an average team on a neutral field.

Clemson at Miami schedule

When: Sat., Oct. 21
Time: 8 p.m. Eastern
TV: ACC Network
Stream live: fuboTV (Try for free)

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