Is it football season yet? Not quite, but we are inching closer and closer with each passing day! The Clemson Tigers have been one of the main staples of the college football landscape for the better part of the last decade. Are they due for yet another solid campaign in 2o23? Join us for our college football odds series where our Clemson over/under win total prediction and pick will be unveiled.

Led by head coach Dabo Sweeney since the 2009 season, the Clemson Tigers have won two national championships since 2016 and have been backed by superb recruiting classes over the years. During the 2022 season, it appeared that the Tigers were once again well on their way to being a CFP contender before dropping two games in the month of November to Notre Dame and South Carolina.

Nevertheless, the Tigers still managed to win at least 10 games for the 12th consecutive time in the Sweeney era despite losing to Tennessee 31-14 in the Orange Bowl. Regardless, this type of consistency is why Clemson remains the cream of the crop of modern-day college football. With the over/under win total currently set at 9.5 games, can the Tigers make it 13 straight seasons of winning at least ten games in 2023?

Here are the College Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Over/Under Win Total Odds

Over 9.5 wins: (-154)

Under 9.5 wins: (+126)

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Why Clemson Can Win 9.5 Games 

At first glance, not only are the Tigers fortunate enough to play in an ACC Conference that has more cupcakes than contenders, but they also have a very favorable schedule in 2023. On paper, Clemson will square off with non-conference opponents like Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic, but their schedule works out for them quite well to begin the season with three of their first four games at home. Oftentimes, many schools will struggle to click on all cylinders during the opening month of the campaign, and if this happens to be the case for the Tigers, then playing at home more often than not will be a much-needed boost for this program.

Roster-wise, QB Cade Klubnik will get his first opportunity at the starting quarterback position in what is expected to be a high-flying offense this fall. After waiting in the wings the past couple of seasons with QB D.J Usagelelei starting under center, the former Tigers quarterback knew his time was coming to an end with the extremely talented skill set of Klubnik lurking over his shoulder. Now attempting to be the best-starting quarterback in program history since the Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson days, Klubnik's strong arm and uncanny athleticism will be a big reason why Clemson wins ten games yet again.

In addition, it always helps a quarterback to have someone of the caliber of running back Will Shipley who is a do-it-all tailback with elite speed and soft hands as a pass catcher. Last season, Shipley was arguably Clemson's top weapon on the offensive side of the ball as he amassed 1,182 rushing yards on 210 carries to go along with 15 touchdowns on the ground. Clearly, Shipley has an extra gear that very few defenses can slow down.

Why Clemson Can Not Win 9.5 Games

For starters, if there is any area of concern for Clemson heading into this fall, it is the fact that they may indeed lack defensive line depth. Over the last several years, the Tigers have developed a tremendous amount of NFL talent within the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, and there is no doubt that that kind of growth and maturation will need to take place from this coaching staff in order to stack up with the rest of the nation. Although a few starters will be battle-tested, the second unit on the defensive line is rather inexperienced and will need to learn on the fly given the departures of names like Bryan Bresee. If this unit isn't able to stay healthy, then stopping the run consistently and getting a pass rush may prove to be difficult.

Most importantly, in today's pass-happy age of college football where opposing offenses like to spread you out and get the ball to their playmakers on the boundaries, it is extremely vital for defenses to have a strong anchor of playmakers in the back end of the secondary. With that being said, Clemson ranked only 76th in the nation in 2o22 in passing defense as they allowed 230 yards per game through the air. Fast forward to 2023, and it is evident that there needs to be some correcting of coverage issues. Conversely,  finding a way to help these raw and athletic but untrained corners and safeties will need to be a main priority for this coaching staff from now until the season starts.

Not to mention, but the emergence of schools like Florida State, North Carolina, and even Pittsburgh will make life harder for the Clemson Tigers to reach their goal of winning at least ten games in 2o23.

Final Clemson Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick

Arguably enough, it is hard to imagine that Clemson isn't once again the favorite to win the ACC Conference en route to punching their ticket to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020. Believe it or not, but QB Cade Klubnik will be a sneaky pick to win the Heisman Memorial Trophy in his true sophomore season and the Tigers' defense will be just talented enough to make some big-time plays in critical moments of the season.

Final Clemson Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick: Over 9.5 (-154)