Clemson might be in South Carolina, but right about now it’s more like Hawaii in that they are Five-O. Meanwhile, Boston College is a lot like Boston Common, a sitcom set in a college in Boston – there are few bright moments here and there, but overall the performances are not strong enough to go against an NCAA football betting juggernaut like Clemson. These are the odds for people betting on college on Friday, October 7th:
Clemson Tigers -16½ (-110) -930
Boston College Eagles +16½ (-110) +615
The Clemson Tigers made a huge statement of purpose when they defeated the Louisville Cardinals 42-36 on Saturday and returned to the top three of the AP Poll. The Tigers’ head coach Dabo Swinney had foolproof strategy to deal with Cards QB Lamar Jackson. “If he’s Superman, we’re going to be the Kryptonite.” And if he’s the Suicide Squad, we’re going to be the critics. In the Heisman Trophy showdown between Jackson and Deshaun Watson, it was Clemson’s signal-caller that won the day. Watson finished 20 of 31 for 306 yards with two scoring passes to Deon Cain – who could be Clemson’s own Superman if not by a single letter – and one each to Jordan Legget, Mike Williams, and Artavis Scott. Watson’s two last TD passes came in the final seven minutes of regulation and served to erase an 18-point deficit. “A lot of guys picked Louisville,” Swinney said, presumably referring to NCAA football betting experts. “Rough night for you.”
The Boston College Eagles beat the Buffalo Bulls 35-3 for a second straight win in week 5, thus improving their record to 3-2. BC quarterback Patrick Towles threw 14 of 25 for 234 passing yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Additionally, running backs Jon Hillman and Davon Jones ran for 54 yards on 19 carries, and 53 on 14, respectively. Each scored a touchdown. “I think it was a pretty clean performance,” DE Harold Landry said. “It was expected. We were supposed to do that. We don’t expect nothing less.” Good to see that Boston College doesn’t frown on double negatives.
The good news for the Eagles, as far as NCAA football betting goes, is that they are 3-0 in non-conference play. The bad news, specifically as it concerns the visiting Tigers, is that Boston College has lost their last 10 consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference games – they went 0-8 last season. The Eagles entered the 2016 regular season with the 6th ranked defense, and it delivered the goods again, keeping the Buffalo Bulls to 67 total yards. Nonetheless, Deshaun Watson will truly put BC’s defense to the test, especially if he can cut down on mistakes – he threw three interceptions against the Louisville Cardinals. Moreover, the Eagles have shrunk against superior opponents like Georgia Tech (14-17) and Virginia Tech (0-49). All things considered, it’s pretty safe to say that Clemson will put Boston College to sleep – figuratively of course, and not literally like Tigers LB Ben Boulware tried to do with Lamar Jackson.
