Clemson looks to rebound at home versus Appalachian State, but the projections are closer than the spread in the Tigers' favor.
Clemson looks to rebound at home versus Appalachian State, but the projections are closer than the spread in the Tigers' favor.

Clemson-Appalachian State game projections


Brandon Rink Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer -

How will Clemson respond in this week's home opener?

The Tigers take on Appalachian State Saturday (8 p.m./ACCN) looking to even the season record and gain some much-needed momentum before the ACC schedule begins.

As it turned out, the 14-16 point model projections were too low for Georgia last week in Atlanta. Some Vegas odds that dipped to as low as 10.5 points pregame were not predictive of a closer score, which finished a 34-3 result in the No. 1 Bulldogs' favor.

Clemson is a 17.5-point favorite currently over the Mountaineers, with 90% of the money going to Clemson's side as of Wednesday morning (per VegasInsider). The projection models would say that's a bit optimistic.

The best one in Clemson's favor takes the Tigers by 15, with the FEI, by a 32-17 score.

ESPN's SP+ has it as a 10-point game, while CFBGraphs bumps that a point more to 11.

Clemson slipped to No. 31 in the SP+ rankings overall, with a No. 48-rated offense, No. 30 defense and No. 98 special teams group ($).

That matches up with an App State team ranked 56th, with a No. 34 offense, No. 90 defense, and No. 27 special teams group.

By that rating, Clemson still trails FSU, but only by 0.2 rating points and one spot overall. The Tigers are also listed as underdogs on a neutral field to Miami (7.4 margin), Louisville (5.7), and SMU (0.8). For the ACC opener in about two weeks, Clemson is six spots above NC State (1.4 margin).

Clemson-App State projections

FEI: 32-17 Clemson (84.6%)

SP+: 34-24 Clemson (73%)

ESPN FPI: Clemson 81.6%

CFBGraphs: Clemson 35-24 (79.4%)

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