The No. 21 Clemson Tigers return to action this Saturday to open their ACC schedule against NC State in this college football Week 4 matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET with ABC on the broadcast. Clemson is a 17-point favorite on the spread in a game with an over/under line of 48 points. The point spread opened at Clemson -7.5 this spring but has jumped to -16.5 or higher after NC State suffered a 51-10 loss to Tennessee in Week 2.
Clemson opened with a blowout loss (34-3) at Georgia and handled Appalachian State (66-20) before a Week 3 bye. The Tigers expect to have offensive linemen Marcus Tate and Trent Howard back for this ACC matchup. Clemson went 3-5 against the spread in ACC games last season.
NC State turned to freshman quarterback CJ Bailey when Grayson McCall suffered an injury against Louisiana Tech last week. Bailey facilitated a 30-20 comeback win and is in line to start at Clemson this Saturday. The Wolfpack expect to have starting cornerbacks Brandon Cisse and Aydan White healthy for their league opener. NC State went 6-2 against the spread in ACC games last season but is 0-3 ATS so far this season.
We break down the matchup more below, along with odds and lines at college football betting sites. We also cover a NC sportsbook promotion from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Clemson heavily favored over NC State in ACC opener
How Clemson could win and cover the spread
The Tigers have a rest advantage here and are preparing to face a freshman quarterback. Despite their lackluster showing in their opener at Georgia, this team has an elite defensive front and a superior offensive line that gets a huge boost with veteran guard Howard set to make his season debut.
Clemson might be able to run the ball at will against a Wolfpack defense that’s yielding 146 rushing yards per game at 4.6 yards per carry. Clemson suffered a 24-17 loss to NC State in Raleigh last October, so returning Clemson players could also be looking for revenge and a statement win to re-assert their status in College Football Playoff odds. NC State couldn’t hold up against a Top 10 program in Tennessee in Week 2, and the Wolfpack went 0-2 against the spread against ranked foes last year.
How NC State could cover the spread
Bailey gives the NC State offense more dynamism as a dual threat compared to graduate transfer Grayson McCall, who is more of a traditional pocket passer. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound freshman powered Chaminade-Madonna Prep to multiple state titles in Florida and is no stranger to elite competition.
This is the ACC opener for both teams, and there are a lot of unknowns regarding teams throughout that conference, so it’s hard to handicap either side effectively. This spread has jumped by double digits since opening, and it’s possible NC State deserves more respect considering the program has taken two of its last three matchups with the Tigers, and it only lost by 10 points in 2022 at Clemson.
