Clemson vs SMU Prediction College Football Picks 12/7/24

In this article, we will formulate a Clemson vs SMU Prediction for this College Football ACC Championship game on Saturday, December 7, at Bank of America Stadium.  Let’s take a look at a Marshall Thundering Herd vs James Madison Dukes pick. To formulate this prediction, we will examine:

-The Tigers’ recent form and recent player performance 

-The Mustangs’ recent form and recent player performance

-Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Clemson

-Recent Betting trends and streaks involving SMU

-Recent betting trends in games played between Clemson vs SMU

-A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for Today’s Game between the Tigers and Mustangs. 

A Gift for Clemson

What a gift it was for Clemson to even be playing in this game here. Clemson lost on Saturday against South Carolina, and it looked like their chances of winning the ACC Championship were dead. A few hours late though, Miami was knocked off by Syracuse, and that put them right back in the picture. Against South Carolina, Cade Klubnik completed 24 of his 36 passes for 28 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. The running game also had issues getting going, and overall the offense just looked out of sync. 

Clemson overall this season is averaging 35.7 points while their defense is giving up 21.6 points per game. The offense is ranked 14th in the league while the defense is ranked 34th. Cade Klubnik on the season has thrown for 3,041 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions. 

Win and In for SMU

SMU knows if they win this game they are in the college football playoff and even with a loss they could be, although that could be more of a risk. SMU in the last game faced off against California and the offense scored 38 points while the defense gave up six points on the way to the win. Kevin Jennings had another strong game completing 20 of his 30 passes for 225 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Brashard Smith also finished with 16 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. The offense for this SMU team has been strong all season and they are averaging 39.2 points while their defense is giving up 19.8 points per game. Brashard Smith is having a strong season on the ground rushing 193 times for 1,157 yards and 14 touchdowns. 

Matchup/League Facts

• SMU ranks 5th among FBS teams for points per game this season (39.2).
• SMU ranks 5th among FBS teams for Q1 points per game this season (10.4).
• Clemson ranks T5th among FBS teams for 1st downs this season (297).
• Clemson ranks 6th among FBS teams for Q1 points per game this season (10.1).

Clemson vs SMU Prediction

Clemson got lucky to even be in this game, and after this game is done, they probably will wish they didn’t ever get the invite. SMU is the superior team and their defense is going to step up in a major way here. Cade Klubnik is going to have a bad game moving the ball through the air. Kevin Jennings is going to have another strong game through the air, and this game is going to get out of hand early. I actually believe that SMU will win this game by two touchdowns, and this will be a comfortable victory.