The No. 10 Clemson Tigers (5-1) aim for their sixth consecutive win on Saturday when they play the Virginia Cavaliers (4-2) at Memorial Stadium at noon ET on Saturday. This game will be shown on the ACC Network.
Clemson gets all the attention, but Virginia is only one game behind the Tigers in the ACC. These teams actually haven't played since 2020 when then-No. 1 Clemson took down UVA 41-23, so this Cavaliers team will be looking to chart a new course against their ACC foes to the south.
The Tigers enter this game as 21-point favorites, and the over/under is set at 57.5 points.
Here's my Virginia vs. Clemson predictions and college football picks for Saturday, October 19.
Virginia vs Clemson Prediction
- Virginia vs Clemson Pick: Clemson -21
My Virginia vs Clemson best bet is on the Tigers spread, with the best line currently available at BetMGM, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Virginia vs Clemson Odds
| Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+21 -110 | 57.5 -110 / -110 | +900 |
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-21 -110 | 57.5 -110 / -110 | -1600 |
- Virginia vs Clemson Point Spread: Virginia +21 (-110) · Clemson -21 (-110)
- Virginia vs Clemson Total: Over/Under 57.5
- Virginia vs Clemson Moneyline: Virginia +900 · Clemson -1600
Virginia vs Clemson Preview
Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview: Competent Cavs
Are the 4-2 Virginia Cavaliers a legit ACC contender? No.
Are they on track to make a bowl game appearance? It's a real possibility.
For a program that won three games in each of the last two seasons, this season has been a welcomed development.
A bulk of the praise goes to sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who's completing 64.4% of his throws for 1,490 yards, nine touchdowns and four picks.
Virginia is scoring a respectable 27.5 points per game with Colandrea running the show. He also adds to the running game (242 yards and two scores) as a good complement to the running back duo of Xavier Brown (334 yards) and Kobe Pace (331 yards).
Wide receiver Malachi Fields is also having a great season, with 541 receiving yards (22nd in the nation) and three touchdowns.
Still, with the Cavs ranking 71st in Pass Success Rate and 94th in Rush Success Rate, it shows that this offense still has a long way to go. Clemson is also the best defense they'll have played this season.
Virginia's defense is also clearly better than it was last year, when it gave up 33.8 points per game. The Cavaliers' 22 allowed points per game this season will surely go up with four ranked teams on the schedule, but it's still meaningful progress.
Clemson Tigers Betting Preview: They're Still Good
After five straight blowout wins, it seems all the concerns about Clemson have vanished into thin air.
With Cade Klubnik and Phil Mafah leading the charge, the Tigers' offense is clicking to the tune of 41 points per game.
The season-opener against Georgia wasn't a bright spot for Klubnik, but he's rebounded nicely by throwing multiple touchdowns in each game since. Klubnik is now completing 66.8% of his throws for 1,528 yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions.
He's a threat with his legs as well, rushing for 198 yards and four scores. That definitely opens up some lanes for Mafah, who's cashed in on his opportunities with 604 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Clemson's offensive performance has translated into great numbers on Action Network Analytics. The Tigers are in the top 34 in all six categories (which you can see below), topping out at 10th in Quality Drives.
On defense, the Tigers are giving up 21.7 points per game, but that number is influenced by them allowing garbage time scores to NC State in their 59-35 win over the Wolfpack.
Since then, Clemson hasn't surrendered more than 14 points in a game.
The Tigers, like always, have some dudes on defense. T.J. Parker leads the team with four sacks, linebackers Barrett Carter, Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown are a three-man wrecking crew, and Avieon Terrell has two interceptions.
These players contribute to Clemson's rankings of fourth in Havoc rate and 34th in Pass Success Rate allowed.
Interestingly, the Tigers are all the way down at 92nd in Rush Success Rate allowed, but Virginia probably isn't suited to fully take advantage of that weakness.
Virginia vs Clemson
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Virginia and Clemson match up statistically:
Virginia Offense vs. Clemson Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 71 | 92 | |
| Line Yards | 25 | 117 | |
| Pass Success | 94 | 34 | |
| Havoc | 25 | 4 | |
| Finishing Drives | 98 | 106 | |
| Quality Drives | 68 | 28 | |
Clemson Offense vs. Virginia Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 34 | 70 | |
| Line Yards | 15 | 97 | |
| Pass Success | 31 | 99 | |
| Havoc | 29 | 85 | |
| Finishing Drives | 16 | 67 | |
| Quality Drives | 10 | 69 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 71 | 33 |
| PFF Coverage | 49 | 25 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 43 | 87 |
| Middle 8 | 24 | 71 |
| Seconds per Play | 25.7 (33) | 26.2 (45) |
| Rush Rate | 53% (74) | 49% (92) |
Virginia vs Clemson Pick & Prediction
Clemson is on a war path after its ugly Week 1 loss to Georgia, and Virginia will be its next victim.
The Cavaliers' 4-2 start is nice and shows clear improvement, but it doesn't make me think they'll hang with the Tigers.
Clemson is beating ACC competition by an average of 25.5 points and just walloped Wake Forest 49-14, a team that Virginia beat by one point.
These teams have a comical gap in roster talent, and that'll show up on the scoreboard Saturday.
Even though I unsuccessfully faded Virginia last week, I'm fading the Cavaliers again.
Go with Clemson to cover in this one.
Pick: Clemson -21 (Play to -22)
Virginia vs Clemson Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
| Location: | Clemson, SC |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 19 |
| Kickoff Time: | 12 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ACC Network |
Virginia duels Clemson in South Carolina on Saturday, October, 19, at 12 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Virginia vs Clemson Betting Trends
- 52% of the bets are on the Cavs to cover the spread against Clemson, while 53% of the money is on the Tigers ATS.
- 56% of the bets and 76% of the money is on the over in this ACC duel.
