by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Nov 30, 2022
ACC Championship Game
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Where to watch: ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Clemson -7.5
FanDuel: Clemson -7.5
BetMGM: Clemson -7.5
Caesars: Clemson -7.5
Season record
No. 9 Clemson: 10-2 (8-0 ACC)
No. 23 North Carolina: 9-3 (6-2 ACC)
Conference championship week is here, and you can't tell me you don't think these games mean a little bit extra on the books. College Football Playoff implications, the balance of power in the college football landscape to be decided this weekend, starting Friday with a big game notably in Las Vegas. Do you have the right idea when you head to the books for these important games? Our champion handicappers surely have you covered. Will Rogers is running an impressive 24-11-0 in the last month. Al McMordie has also been cashing in heavily with a 40-29-1 mark in college football over the last 30 days. Our guys here have you ready to go for what should be an exciting week. Be tuned to bigal.com for everything!
Clemson - North Carolina preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Clemson: lost 31-30 vs. South Carolina
North Carolina: lost 30-27 (2OT) vs. NC State
Well so much for this having any implication on a College Football Playoff or anything of the sort. Because both the Clemson Tigers and the North Carolina Tar Heels completely faltered down the stretch and as a result, the ACC will not be having anybody playing a pivotal role in this year's championship proceedings. But nonetheless, this should be a very fun conference championship game this weekend in Charlotte and if you are in the ACC, I am pretty sure you're rooting for Clemson because when the rankings come out today, it's more than likely going to be a situation where Clemson will be the higher ranked team and they will need to when in order to ensure that it is a quality bowl game for the conference.
Well so much for this having any implication on a College Football Playoff or anything of the sort. Because both the Clemson Tigers and the North Carolina Tar Heels completely faltered down the stretch and as a result, the ACC will not be having anybody playing a pivotal role in this year's championship proceedings. But nonetheless, this should be a very fun conference championship game this weekend in Charlotte and if you are in the ACC, I am pretty sure you're rooting for Clemson because when the rankings come out today, it's more than likely going to be a situation where Clemson will be the higher ranked team and they will need to when in order to ensure that it is a quality bowl game for the conference.
Because suddenly, a North Carolina team that lost back-to-back games against unranked Georgia Tech and unranked North Carolina State doesn't seem all that enthralling when you look at it. But for the game itself, this will be a very fun game in terms of a high-powered offense in North Carolina taking on a still very tough defense in Clemson. And this is going to be one of those fun instances where for the first time you could look at a game and fully convince yourself that you have no idea which way it's going to go.
Because on one hand you can look at North Carolina and how it plays defensively, a very strong defense in its own right, and think that it can be just enough to knock off Clemson and its ho-hum type of offense. There’s still no way to actually understand what D.J. Uiagalelei actually brings you on the offensive side of the ball because he's been too inconsistent for two years now for us to believe he can be a difference-maker throwing the football. Uiagalelei was absolutely horrendous last week in the shocking 31-30 loss to South Carolina, going 8 of 29 for 99 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.
When you look at the history of Clemson quarterbacks, and we have talked about this extensively before, there is absolutely no reason why a quarterback that was so highly touted coming out of high school should be laying eggs like this amidst everyday occurrences. This kid is not built for college, he will not be built for the NFL, and if he is a starting quarterback next season I will be ultimately shocked to how careless Dabo Swinney is when it comes to his quarterbacks. I'm not saying this is an everyday occurrence, but this is horrendous coaching and this is horrendous quarterback play.
Now if Clemson had North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye then Clemson is probably running the table right now. Unfortunately for North Carolina, the quarterback play has not been up to par either. And if not for the utter choke job on both sides of the ball, North Carolina might be playing for a College Football Playoff spot. Instead after watching Maye throw for 233 yards and just one touchdown, North Carolina not only has to hope that it plays better enough this weekend to get maybe a spot in the Orange Bowl, but has to go an entire year knowing that North Carolina State has the bragging rights after winning 30-27 in overtime.
North Carolina had so much promise throughout this season and suddenly now it's come crashing down in a huge way. And until somebody figures out how the ACC can you can salvage this season I would really love to hear it because this is about as disappointing as one to get. We are in a position where a team from the SEC, the Big 10, the Big 12, and the PAC 12 are likely going to be in the College Football Playoff. Hell, even the SEC has a chance to get two teams in. The ACC blew a big-time opportunity here.
Prediction
I do not trust Clemson in this situation, though I should given the championship pedigree of this school. But that quarterback is not good and it would not shock me in the least if he was benched halfway through for a guy who actually knows how to throw the football and knows how to play the position. It will be shocking if Clemson does not run this kid out of town at some point. North Carolina by 7
Betting trends
Clemson is 84-60 ATS after allowing 100 rushing yards or less last game since 1992.
Clemson is 30-15 ATS on the road/neutral-site game after outrushing the opponent by 150 or more in the last game since 1992.
North Carolina is 42-25 ATS after 2 consecutive outright losses since 1992.
North Carolina is 54-34 ATS after 2 straight games forcing 1 or fewer turnovers since 1992.
Statistical leaders
Clemson:
Passing: D.J. Uiagalelei -- 2,511 yards, 22 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Will Shipley -- 1,092 yards, 14 TD
Receiving: Antonio Williams -- 523 yards, 4 TD
North Carolina:
Passing: Drake Maye -- 3,847 yards, 35 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Drake Maye -- 629 yards, 6 TD
Receiving: Josh Downs -- 929 yards, 11 TD
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Clemson Tigers - North Carolina Tar Heels prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college football projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
