Clemson vs Stanford Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines

First of all, at the moment the game is still on.

Hurricane Helene rolled through Clemson, knocking out power in some parts, and it's supposed to be okay out on Saturday. On the field ...

Just how good is Clemson?

It seemed to take the 34-3 loss to Georgia personally as it destroyed Appalachian State and NC State in back-to-back weeks. Now it gets to dive deeper into the new world of the ACC with Stanford coming to town.

Up next is the trip to Florida State - but the Tigers can’t overlook the dangerous Cardinal.

Stanford pulled out a thriller at Syracuse, and now it has to all the way back across the country to Clemson before getting Virginia Tech and going to Notre Dame.

It’s the second all-time meeting between the two. The first was a 27-21 Clemson win in your 1986 Gator Bowl.

Clemson vs Stanford Preview

Clemson vs Stanford How to Watch
Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
How to Watch: ESPN
Clemson (2-1), Stanford (2-1)
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Why Stanford Will Win

The Cardinal defensive front has been a rock against the run.

Granted, everyone so far has tried throwing the ball, but the Stanford run defense is allowing just two yards per carry and is third in the nation overall. But there’s one key part to this game for the Cardinal …

Time of possession. They’re holding the ball for close to 32 minutes per game, and they have to be even better at keeping that Tiger offense off the field. Grind it out, don’t turn the ball over, limit the mistakes …

Why Clemson Will Win

That sounds easy, but the Clemson offensive line has been fantastic over the last few games.

It all kicked up several notches after the loss to Georgia with 252 rushing yards against Appalachian State, 269 against NC State, and plenty of time allowed for Cade Klubnik and the Tiger passing game to fire away at will.

Clemson isn’t making a whole lot of mistakes either. It’s not turning the ball over, the penalties haven’t been an issue, and as long as all of the periphery parts are fine, the offense should have too much to overwhelm Stanford and …

Clemson vs Stanford: Who Will Win

Yeah, forget about everything you just read. Stanford will probably come out firing.

It has to get QB Ashton Daniels in a rhythm early and put the Tiger defense on its heels.

That’s far easier said than done, but this is a fearless team coming off that brilliant comeback win over Syracuse. It did it by hanging around until the chance was there to take over.

Here's the problem - what kind of shape will Stanford be in? Its flight wasn't able to take off and the team isn't getting in until the final moments.

Stanford will try keeping up, but Clemson will be too sharp in the first half. The Tigers will have to keep trying, but there shouldn’t be a ton of fourth quarter drama.

Clemson vs Stanford Prediction, Betting Lines

Clemson 38, Stanford 16
Line: Clemson -21.5, o/u: 57.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Clemson vs Stanford Must See Rating: 2.5

Week 5 CFN Expert Picks
Georgia at Alabama | Va Tech at Miami
Wash at Rutgers | Kentucky at Ole Miss
Minn at Michigan | Okla St at Kansas St
Nebraska at Purdue | Wisconsin at USC
Louisville at Notre Dame | Ark at Texas A&M
Colorado at UCF | Ohio St at Michigan St
Illinois at Penn St | Wash St at Boise St
Arizona at Utah | Oregon at UCLA