College Football Pick: #4 Clemson Tigers at #20 NC State Wolfpack
ACC Atlantic Championship Could Be Decided Today
This is a big game, as the #4 Clemson Tigers (7-1 Overall, 5-1 ACC) play the #20 NC State Wolfpack (6-2 Overall, 4-0 ACC) on Saturday, Nov 4 at 3:30 p.m. E.T. This game could very well decide who will win the ACC Atlantic Division. The Tigers one loss was 27-24 to the Syracuse Orange two weeks ago. The following week Clemson recovered taking down Georgia Tech 24-10. NC State lost its first game of the season, as South Carolina took them down 35-28. Their other loss was to #9 Notre Dame, who beat the Wolfpack last week 35-14. Our Clemson plays NC State 2017 college football pick has the Tigers at -9.5 and the over/under at -51.5.
Clemson- Pluses and Minuses
The Tigers come to this game with a defense that is allowing only 13.1 PPG. They are limiting teams to 162.9 PPG in the air. Clemson is a decent passing team and an excellent rushing club, averaging 219.8 YPG on the ground. DE Austin Bryant, who has 13.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, and 38 tackles, leads the Tiger frontline. He also has two forced fumbles and one pick. LB Dorian O’Daniel is a huge talent. He has 58 tackles, five sacks, and 8.5 TFL, as well as two picks, one fumble recovery, and two touchdowns. There’s plenty of depth on defense.
Clemson QB Kelly Bryant (67.5 COMP%, 6 TDs, 4 INTs) is an avid runner, rushing for seven TDs and averaging 4.1 YPA, There are three Tiger runners who have more than 400 yards this season with Bryant rushing 460. Tavien Feaster, who is averaging 5.8 YPA, has 424 total yards on 73 carries. He’s scored three times. RB Travis Etienne has carried the ball 58 times, averaging 8.4 YPA and and scoring seven times. WR Deon Cain has three TD catches.
Tigers Summary
- Bryant and company will run a lot
- Cain could do some damage as a pass catcher
- Doubting whether Tiger D hold NC State to under 14 points
NC State- Pluses and Minuses
The NC State defense includes DE Bradley Chubb. This season, Chubb has 45 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 16.5 TFL. CB Johnathan Alston, who is also a wideout on offense, leads the team with three interceptions. He also had three passes defended, four TFL and 36 tackles. Corner Nick McCloud has six PD. The defense has allowed an average of 24.3 PPG while their offense has scored 32.8 PPG.
NC State QB Ryan Finley (66.3 COMP%, 12 TDs, 1 INT) is accurate and exacting. A trio of his pass catchers has three scoring catches each. The Wolfpack also have three running backs who have the potential to score, including Jaylen Samuels who leads the team with seven rushing TDs and is one of the receivers with three scoring receptions.
Wolfpack Summary
- Watch out for Chubb and the NCST pass attack
- Samuels will be tough to control
- Can State stop Tiger rush attack?
Three Major Takeaways
Here are a few of our major takeaways concerning our Clemson plays NC State 2017 college football pick.
- Clemson D must stop Wolfpack pass attack
- Rush defenses are fairly equal
- NC State has depth on offense
ACC Atlantic Clemson at NC State Free Pick
Our Clemson plays NC State 2017 college football pick is a tough one to make. We’re going with the under at 51.5. We also like Clemson at -9.5.
Spread and Totals Free Pick- Clemson at -9.5 and under 51.5
