NCAA Football Betting: NC State Wolfpack vs. Clemson Tigers Pick

NC State put itself in the driver’s seat last Thursday night when it took down the Florida State Seminoles at Carter Finley Stadium 28-24. When the season highlights start popping up from this year, the play action fake that resulted in a one yard touchdown pass with less than three minutes to play against the Noles is certainly going to be at the top of the charts. QB Russell Wilson really probably should have put himself at least remotely into Heisman Trophy consideration with that performance on national television, but we know that he stands no chance of being a finalist for the award. Still, with 2,302 passing yards and 19 scores with a lot of big gainers on the ground as well, there is no reason to think that this isn’t one of the best signal callers that the country has to offer. The Wolfpack have really struggled defensively this year on the road, allowing 27.3 points and 389.0 yards per game in three outings, and they are very lucky to do 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS to show for it.

The Tigers were, for one brief moment, right there on the cusp of the ACC Atlantic title once again, but losing to the Boston College Eagles in Chestnut Hill snatched that away very, very quickly. The Tigers looked absolutely hapless in that game, losing 16-10 for their third straight road defeat this season. Things have been significantly better at home, where only the Miami Hurricanes have walked away with a defeat. The Clemson offense is only averaging 342.2 yards and 27.8 points per game this year, but the scoring numbers go up dramatically while playing in Death Valley at 34.4 points per game. QB Kyle Parker continues to struggle after putting up another iffy game against the Eagles. He only has 1,316 yards and eight scores this season against six INTs. Unless RB Andre Ellington plans on having a fantastic Saturday, the only unit that can really help out these Tigers is the defense. Don’t blame these guys for losing on Saturday, as 16 points allowed should win you just about every ball game that you play. Only the Canes and the Auburn Tigers have scored more than 21 against this defense all season long.

This is a tough one to call, but we tend to think that playing in Death Valley is going to be too much for the Wolfpack to overcome. They have not been a good road team all year long, and we aren’t so sure that this, their toughest road test to date, is going to be passable. Wilson has been INT prone at times this year, and we know that the Clemson defense is good enough to take advantage of it. The ‘D’ will rule the day for the Tigers.