Georgia vs. Clemson Preview
- Georgia vs Clemson kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday live from Atlanta, Georgia, on ABC. It is the first game of the 2024 season for both teams.
- Georgia is currently -12.5 at most sportsbooks, with the over/under set at 48.5 points scored.
- Our experts can see the case for both sides covering the spread, but they are picking the Tigers to cover.
- Our best Georgia-Clemson expert pick for Week 1 is a bet on the total, specifically on the under of 48.5 — and make sure to check out our top sportsbooks list when you place your bets!
Kirby Smart’s No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs open their 2024 college football season as they take on Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers in Atlanta on Saturday for a matchup in both schools' backyards. Georgia missed last year's College Football Playoff after a 12-1 season and a 27-24 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship. The No. 14 Tigers finished 9-4 in 2023 after starting .500 through their first 8 games, closing the season with 5 consecutive wins.
The last time these two teams played, back in 2021, it was a defensive slugfest, as Georgia won a 10-3 game where the only touchdown came by the defenses. These teams have met in this early-season showcase before in recent years and have a long history of scheduling one another. Both teams have hoisted multiple National Championship trophies over the last 10 years, and both will need to get off to a good start to the season.
Georgia vs. Clemson Picks
SPREAD
Our experts lean toward Clemson to cover the spread.
TOTAL
Our experts are betting the under at 48.5.
MONEYLINE
Our experts do not have a bet on the moneyline in Clemson vs Georgia.
Georgia vs. Clemson Odds
| Georgia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -110 | 48.5 -115o / -105u | -200 |
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 48.5 -115o / -105u | +155 |
Georgia comes in ranked No. 1 in the country with a roster loaded with blue-chippers.
However, the Dawgs are replacing some key players; there are spots in this lineup with talented but untested starters. But both coordinators and quarterback Carson Beck return, and Smart has built the finest winning infrastructure in the sport.
Clemson has more question marks.
Dabo’s diabolical refusal to use the transfer portal to bolster his team has left him with a thin, top-heavy roster. That weakness might rear its ugly head early as the Tigers are potentially down some defensive contributors. But the team still has impact players at key spots, including future NFLers in Peter Woods, Barrett Carter and Avieon Terrell.
So, the more complete Dawgs enter the game as almost two-touchdown favorites. The 2024 edition of this cross-conference rivalry promises to have more points than the 2021 version — when Georgia’s historic defense suffocated Clemson and a young DJ Uiagalelei.
Neither offense found the end zone that night; no one believes that will happen again, with a total of 48.5.
We’ll all be watching this high-caliber noon kickoff from Atlanta, so let’s bet it too. We polled our staff of 16 college football experts to seek a consensus. While we are fairly split on the spread, our writers show a strong lean for a pick on the total.
How to Watch Georgia vs. Clemson
| Location: | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA |
| Date: | Saturday, Aug. 31 |
| Kickoff Time: | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ABC |
Georgia and Clemson kick off at 12 p.m. ET on ABC, live from Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
Clemson vs Georgia Weather
Georgia vs Clemson Spread
Clemson has been as big as a 13.5-point underdog, but the current spread is Georgia -12.5 at most books. There are even some lines of Georgia -11.5 available currently.
While it’s not an overwhelming lean, our staff likes Clemson to cover the number against Georgia.
By Dan Keegan
The Clemson program is one of the few in the country that can live in the same stratosphere of roster talent as Kirby Smart’s loaded Bulldog machine.
Georgia ranks second in the country in talent, according to 247Sports' roster composite, and has 69 blue-chip players this year. But Clemson’s cupboard is hardly bare at fifth in the overall rankings with 52 thoroughbreds of its own.
So, how can the Tigers keep it close on the field?
The Clemson offense will take a step forward after being projected at 19th in offensive SP+ this year. It will be healthy this game after an injury-riddled 2023.
Quarterback Cade Klubnick is in his second year as the starter and his second with coordinator Garrett Riley. New offensive line coach Matt Luke is highly regarded and will shore up a unit that needs a spark.
Running back Phil Mafah is finally in line to be a workhorse. And get to know Bryant Wesco, the next great Clemson X receiver. The true freshman has drawn rave reviews in camp and is going to bring back the explosive element to the Tiger offense.
They will face a Georgia defense that isn’t as seasoned as it has been in recent years, checking in at 59th in returning production on that side of the ball.
While the new starters should form into another dominant unit by the time the leaves change color, this is the first taste of action for many of Georgia’s precocious pups.
Defensively, Clemson has a matchup it can exploit with an excellent pass defense — it ranked fourth in PFF grading at 91.8 last year — against a one-sided Georgia pass game. The Bulldogs are efficient with Beck under center but not explosive. UGA ranked second in Passing Success Rate but 115th in passing explosiveness a season ago.
A Tiger defense unconcerned about being taken over the top can creep forward, play downhill against the run, and rush the passer with more numbers.
Clemson finished third nationally in creating Havoc last year and can rely on those disruptive plays to keep Georgia one-dimensional and keep this game close enough to cover.
Pick: Clemson +13.5 |
Best Bet for Georgia vs. Clemson: Under 48.5
Over 48.5 | 2 Picks |
Pass | 5 Picks |
Under 48.5 | 9 Picks |
Under 48.5
The turf at indoor Mercedes-Benz potentially favors the offense, though neither team has the personnel to engage in a track meet.
Georgia’s a bit of a mixed bag, featuring transfers and others who have developed in-house.
Quarterback Carson Beck is a Heisman candidate for the top team in the country. There’s no Brock Bowers this year, but he’ll have two stud tight ends (one a transfer) and another imported running back in Trevor Etienne, though his status is undetermined.
Beck, tight ends Oscar Delp and Ben Yurosek and the rest of Kirby Smart’s offensive personnel haven’t put anything out on tape together yet. If there’s any type of success offensively, it’ll likely be before Dabo Swinney and the defensive coaches find proper matchups.
Cade Klubnik, meanwhile, improved on his turnover-worthy pass rate from 2022 to 2023. He ducks a true road game and shouldn’t be rattled with all the experience. However, his supporting cast, while reliable, lacks explosion.
Neither Clemson nor Georgia was a favorable bet in the over/under markets last year — the Bulldogs split their 14 games down the middle, while the Tigers went 7-6 to the under.
With question marks on both offenses, our staff leans toward the under in this top-15 clash.
Pick: Under 48.5 |
