Boston College Eagles vs. Clemson Tigers Odds & Game Pick (2021)

Before the season began, if I told you, by Week 5, Boston College would be undefeated going up against a Clemson Tigers team that has two losses, you’d laugh at me.

But that’s exactly what has happened so far. Clemson is 2-2 after a stunning loss to NC State in overtime after previously almost losing to Georgia Tech in the game before. Meanwhile, the talk of the ACC hasn’t been Clemson and instead has been Boston College, who are 4-0 and closer to a bowl game than Clemson is at this very moment.

Clemson is still ranked 25 in the AP Poll and that’s a major head-scratcher after losing to an unranked opponent last week in North Carolina State. The offense has been terrible for Clemson and while the defense has been okay, they couldn’t get stops in overtime and took a 27-21 loss on the road. When Clemson needed stops the most, the defense couldn’t get the job done.

Will Clemson rebound from a disastrous start to the season or are we seeing the downfall of Clemson?

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Details

• Opening Line: Clemson -14.5, O/U 46.5
• Current Line: Clemson -16, O/U 47
• Last meeting: October 31, 2020, Clemson 34, Boston College 28

Overview 

Boston College gave Clemson fits last season in South Carolina, losing 34-28 in a game where current quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei started in place of Trevor Lawrence who couldn’t play due to protocol. The Eagles literally had a chance to win that game but fell short.

The reality is, Boston College is much better than they were last year. The other reality is that Clemson is still trying to find their identity and we’re in Week 5 of the season.

I’ve been one of those guys trying not to overreact to Clemson’s struggles but now it’s time to start to panic. The next big quarterback for Clemson has three passing touchdowns all year with three interceptions and just 586 yards passing. We’ve seen Lawrence do this in four quarters.

The offense is averaging just 21.8 points per game and allowing 12 points per game. To Clemson’s credit, their game against Georgia was a tough one on the schedule but there’s no excuse for allowing Georgia Tech a chance to win and giving North Carolina State the game in overtime last week.

The offense can’t do anything right but run the ball. Meanwhile, on defense, Clemson has a bunch of studs. They’ve been terrific in coverage but have actually done a poor job of tackling.

Boston College has scored 41.3 points per game and has allowed 16.3 points per game. They’ve had games against Colgate, UMass, and Temple but two of those three games were on the road. Yes, these aren’t insane wins but they dominated in these games. It’s deserving of recognition.

Last week, Boston College found a way against a middle-tier SEC team in Missouri, winning 41-34 in overtime. The Eagles should’ve won earlier but a 56-yard field goal as time expired kept Missouri in the game. Boston College did a little bit more in that game.

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Trends 

• Tigers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
• Tigers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games.
• Under is 5-0 in Tigers last 5 games after accumulating less than 275 total yards in their previous game.

Bottom Line 

Boston College has looked much more connected in the first four weeks of the season. Clemson players are angry and frustrated and the media is only adding to the fire. This team just didn’t recruit well and fell victim to the “we’re fine” idea when Lawrence was under center. The same thing happened to LSU with Joe Burrow and it looks like Ohio State with Justin Fields.

This won’t be Clemson’s year. The defense will do enough to help win games but the offense will not fare well against some of the top ACC teams in the league.

Boston College isn’t considered a top team but they might finish the season as one. They haven’t had real competition this year outside of Missouri but they’ve done exactly what they were supposed to do in those first four games. They won against bad teams by a lot of knocked off an SEC team even while facing adversity.

There’s no chance I’m laying anywhere close to two touchdowns with Clemson. I’m not even sure if Clemson can score 14 points.

Boston College has looked terrific offensively behind senior quarterback Dennis Grosel. He hasn’t had to do much but he makes plays when needed thanks to passing protection that has given him ample time to move and find open receivers.

The defense has also been really solid but that could just be because they’ve played against bad opponents. Either way, against Missouri, the Eagles earned two interceptions and won the turnover battle. That was the difference in the game.

I’ll take Boston College +16. I fell for the Clemson rebound last week and they were far from close. Last year, Clemson couldn’t even come close to covering this number against the Eagles.

Pick: Boston College +16 (-110)

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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.