Clemson vs SMU Prediction, Odds & Best Bets – ACC Championship Game 2024

• #8 SMU is a 2.5-point favorite over #17 Clemson in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, December 7
• The Tigers have won eight straight Conference Championship Games
• Check out the latest Clemson vs SMU prediction, odds and best bets, below

A spot in the College Football Playoff is on the line Saturday, as #17 Clemson (9-3, 7-1 ACC) takes on #8 SMU (11-0, 8-0 ACC) in the ACC Championship Game. There’s an outside shot both teams could be among the final 12 standing even if the Tigers win, but the Mustangs can’t afford to take that chance.

SMU ran through their ACC schedule undefeated, and online sportsbooks are expecting yet another win based on the latest College Football odds.

Clemson vs SMU Odds

The Mustangs are currently favored by 2.5-points, in a contest with a total of 55.5. This line touched -3 briefly, before sharp money drove it back down, and it appears professionals still like the Clemson side at +2.5.

Per the College Football public betting trends, the Tigers are drawing 52% of the spread handle, but only 40% of the wagers. Typically, when handle outweighs the tickets by a significant margin it’s a product of sharp action, and it’s not hard to see why the pros are leaning Clemson.

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Kickoff is scheduled for 8pm ET at Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte, NC, with ABC providing the broadcast coverage.

Odds as of December 6 at 1:00 pm ET. Be sure to check out the best sportsbook promotions before placing a bet on any College Football matchup this week.

The Case for Clemson

For starters, while this is supposed to be a neutral site game, it’s essentially in the Tigers backyard. Charlotte is two hours away from the Clemson campus, compared to over 1000 miles away from SMU. The crowd will be littered with rowdy Tigers fans, turning this contest into a defacto Clemson home game.

Next, is the experience factor. This is the Tigers 10th Conference Championship Game since 2008, and seventh since 2015. They’re 8-1 straight up in those contests, winning eight in a row.

This will be only the second time they’re an underdog in the championship contest, with the previous time coming in 2011. That year they faced Virginia Tech as 7-point ‘dogs, and won outright 38-10.

As for the product on the field this year, Clemson has advantages on both sides. On defense, the Tigers enter play ranked 20th per SP+. They’re 12th in turnovers forced and 21st in INT rate. That spells trouble for SMU, who has a major giveaway problem.

The Mustangs rank 80th in turnover percentage and 53rd in INT rate. After starting the season with just one interception in his first six appearances, Kevin Jennings has thrown six picks in his last six starts.

Offensively, Clemson brings a balanced attack to the table, led by QB Cade Klubnik. The preseason Heisman Trophy odds candidate had a career-high 29 TD passes this season, while adding nearly 300 yards on designed runs.

Cade Klubnik this year

2761 Passing yards
251 PYG
29 Passing TD’s
4 INT
5 Rushing TD’s

2026 QB1. pic.twitter.com/8Mlw47xCQW

— Lando Scott (@LandosHotTakes) November 30, 2024

Klubnik, the MVP of the 2022 ACC Champion team, has double the amount of big time throws compared to turnover worthy plays. That poses problems for an SMU secondary that ranks 48th in defending contested catches.

Clemson vs SMU Prediction

That’s not to say there aren’t things to like about SMU. The Mustangs have scored at least 33 points in eight of their past nine games.

As good as the Clemson defense is, they are prone to giving up big plays. The Tigers rank 117th in yards allowed on successful plays, meaning when they do give up yards its in bunches. SMU’s has plenty of explosive elements to it, gaining 20-plus yards on over 8% of their snaps.

Both teams are likely to find some success on offense, which explains the high total. However, when you factor in SMU’s turnover woes, Clemson’s defacto home field advantage and their experience, the Tigers are the side to play.

Everybody wants Clemson to win now to just keep bama out… pic.twitter.com/KQ9Xg2GdmV

— PePe (@CLEMSONPEPE) December 4, 2024

Also working in Clemson’s favor is a slew of positive trends. They’re 7-2 against the spread in Conference Championship Games, winning each of their last four appearances by at least 29 points.

They’ve played 33 games at a neutral site under Dabo Swinney, winning 21 of them and covering in 20. As underdogs at a neutral site, they’re 9-3 ATS, covering the number by 11.8 points per game.

• Clemson vs SMU Pick: Clemson +2.5 (-110)