Miami Hurricanes vs Clemson Tigers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/03/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 3, 2026

Venue:  Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC

Where to Watch:  ABC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL -16.5, Clemson +16.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL -16.5, Clemson +16.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL -16.5, Clemson +16.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Miami Hurricanes:  4-0 (2-0) (1st place, ACC)

Clemson Tigers:  3-1 (2-0) (2nd place, ACC)

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Miami Hurricanes:  won their last game at home against the Central Michigan Chippewas 52-3.

Clemson Tigers:  won their last game on the road against the California Golden Bears 24-10.

Miami-Florida is entering this game with a 4-0 record overall and they have a 2-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Central Michigan 52-3. Darian Mensah was the starting QB and he completed 23/27 passes for 338 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey led the team in rushing yards with 104 and 1 TD. Malachi Toney led the receivers with 120 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Cam Pruitt led the defense in that game with 6 tackles while Marquise Lightfoot led the defense in sacks with 2. Brody Jennings came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Clemson is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 2-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against California 24-10. Tait Reynolds was the starting QB and he completed 14/22 passes for 106 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Gideon Davidson led the team in rushing yards with 159 and 2 TDs. Tyler Brown led the receivers with 29 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Jerome Carter III, Corey Myrick, and Sammy Brown each led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while London Merritt led the defense in sacks with 1. Elliot Washington II came away with 2 interceptions for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Miami listed as a 16.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Miami has looked great in their games this season with their 4-0 record overall and their 2-0 conference record which has them right at the top of the ACC. They have been a good road team too with their 2-0 road record this year. Meanwhile, Clemson has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall and their 2-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the ACC. They have looked good on their home field too with their 2-0 home record this season. Clemson had a terrible start to the season with a 51-10 loss to LSU and they looked like they were dead in the water with that embarrassing loss. They have slowly been putting things back together though and now they have won 3 games in a row. They didn't look great in their wins over Georgia Southern and UNC, but they needed a really late comeback to beat UNC and that win has given them some momentum now. They are coming off a 24-10 road win over Cal in their last one and they were the better team in that one, but they still didn't have a great start to that game and struggled to pull away too. That game was also on the West coast, so this is a terrible game to be playing the next week against the best team in the conference who was in the National Championship last year. Miami is coming off a 52-3 win over Central Michigan in their last one and they have been rolling in every game this year. They haven't had to face the best in the ACC yet, but they did start the season with a conference game on the West coast and they blew Stanford out of the water. They also had a big road win over Wake Forest, so they have been challenged already on the road in the conference and they look like the best team in the ACC by far, all 4 of their wins being by double digits. Clemson has escaped their last 2 games with wins against inferior opponents, but they won't be able to do that here against a team that is better than they are in every single way. The best way to place a bet here is on Miami to cover the spread in this game.

Miami Clemson Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 3, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Miami 45 Clemson 17.

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Miami Hurricanes: 20-10 ATS against FBS division opponents. 11-4 ATS after allowing 14 points or less last game. 11-6 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 6-2 UNDER after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better. 6-2 UNDER on the road after a win by 17 or more points. 

Clemson Tigers: 5-11 ATS in home lined games. 2-8 ATS after playing their last game on the road. 3-7 ATS vs. good teams - outscoring opponents by 10+ PPG on the season. 18-10 UNDER against FBS division opponents. 8-4 UNDER off a win against a conference rival.

Miami Hurricanes:  M. Fletcher Jr. (RB) Questionable - Upper Body. J. Moore (WR) Out - Upper Body. C. Brown (RB) Out - Lower Body. L. Gilbert (TE) Out - Undisclosed.

Clemson Tigers:  D. Eziomume (RB) Out - Leg. C. Vizzina (QB) Out - Elbow. C. Gipson (CB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Haynes (RB) Out - Undisclosed. K. McGriff (WR) Out - Undisclosed. C. Turner (WR) Out - Personal. P. Streko (RB) Out - Undisclosed.

“He spread the ball around pretty good, he extended plays, great pocket presence, protected pretty well. A couple times when it got sticky, he found a way.” - Mario Cristobal after his team’s win against CMU in their last game. 

“Two games in a row, we’ve played some complimentary football. When we do, it’s a really good thing. But we’re a long way away from hoisting a trophy or anything like that. But at the end of the day, we’re 3-1. We’re still undefeated in the league and just got to keep finding a way to keep growing, learning." - Dabo Swinney after his team’s win against Cal in their last game. 

WR Moore, Joshua 

WR Barkate, Cooper

WR Toney, Malachi

TE Lofton, Elija

QB Mensah, Darian

RB Fletcher Jr., Mark

WR Wesco Jr., Bryant

WR Moore, T.J.

WR Brown, Tyler

TE Patt-Henry, Olsen

QB Reynolds, Tait

RB Davidson, Gideon

Passing: Darian Mensah (1,211)

Rushing: Mark Fletcher Jr. (230)

Receiving: Malachi Toney (564)

Touchdowns: Malachi Toney (6)

Passing: Tait Reynolds (521)

Rushing: Gideon Davidson (346)

Receiving: T.J. Moore (196)

Touchdowns: Gideon Davidson (3)

Coaches:

Miami Hurricanes: Mario Cristobal (5th season)

Clemson Tigers: Dabo Swinney (19th season)