College football betting: Clemson, Navy look like good plays for Friday

Did the Clemson Tigers prevention their play and manager Dabo Swinney acknowledgment to the upwind hold successful past week’s triumph implicit North Carolina?

The Dabo portion mightiness beryllium a tad hyperbolic, but the Tigers picking up a 2nd nonaccomplishment successful 3 games and 1 to an unranked hostile would person wiped retired immoderate hopes of righting the vessel capable to beryllium successful the College Football Playoff discussion.

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But, present they person to debar 1 of those crossed the state successful Berkeley against the Cal Golden Bears. It’s 1 of 2 predictions for Friday’s games.

Clemson (PK, 50.5) vs. Cal

7:30 p.m.

The crippled against Syracuse is the basal origin of this enactment determination against Cal. The Golden Bears did spell connected the roadworthy and triumph that crippled 21-18, but were the benefactors of 3 Steve Angeli interceptions, 1 of them a pick-6.

Syracuse missed a game-tying tract extremity aft the turnover that led to the deficit. According to Game On Paper, Cal lone averaged 27.1 yards per thrust successful that crippled and inactive had a little EPA per play than Syracuse, contempt not turning the shot implicit astatine all. The Bears had conscionable 4.33 yards per play, 1.31 less YPP than Syracuse.

Clemson got an assistance from Mother Nature, arsenic the Tigers trailed 17-15 with conscionable implicit 8 minutes near successful the 4th fourth and North Carolina knocking connected the doorway to widen their lead. After the lightning delay, Clemson came backmost acceptable to play, North Carolina didn’t, and the Tigers came from down to unafraid a immense win.

It should besides beryllium noted, though, that Clemson was easy the amended squad successful the container score, posting 0.16 EPA/play to North Carolina’s -0.09 and the Tigers had much than a gait per play much than the Tar Heels.

It should besides beryllium noted that a batch of precocious metrics for Clemson’s afloat assemblage of enactment bash not see a large chunk of the 51-10 nonaccomplishment to LSU due to the fact that truthful galore plays qualified arsenic “garbage time” with the large lead. So, those are skewed a small bit, but the Clemson defence has buckled down implicit the past 2 games, allowing conscionable 4.56 YPP. Cal’s discourtesy is surely overmuch person to UNC oregon Georgia Southern than it is to LSU.

It besides seems to beryllium that the marketplace believes Tait Reynolds is simply a amended enactment than Chris Vizzina. Reynolds, a three-star successful the 2026 people who kept his 2024 committedness to Clemson, has had blessed feet truthful far. He’s been sacked 8 times and lone has 1.8 yards per transportation connected 30 attempts, but he’s been the much close passer betwixt the 2 and should proceed to make chemistry with T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr.

Cal surely has the much accomplished QB successful Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. We’ll spot if the assurance helium gained successful the blowout triumph implicit Wagner volition transportation over, but JKS was 45-of-75 (60 percent) for 453 yards with a 4/2 TD/INT ratio and 4 sacks successful his archetypal 2 games against FBS competition. This should beryllium the champion defence helium has faced frankincense far, but UCLA held Cal to -0.12 EPA/play, truthful the Bears person a antagonistic EPA/play successful some of their FBS games and outcomes that would person graded successful the 19th and 16th percentiles comparative to 2025 numbers successful that category.

JKS is decidedly a promising player, but Cal has mustered 3.4 yards per transportation and conscionable 2.8 YPC against FBS opponents. There isn’t overmuch equilibrium to this discourtesy close now. Under erstwhile Oregon DC and first-year manager Tosh Lupoi, the defence has allowed 6.4 YPP to the 2 FBS opponents, truthful that portion has struggled arsenic well.

It is an disfigured stake successful immoderate respects and you could marque a lawsuit for some teams, but Cal’s statistical show successful their 2 FBS games does rise a ton of show concerns. Clemson mightiness beryllium showing immoderate signs of getting backmost connected track, but the defense, if thing else, is the champion portion connected the tract successful this game. And, arsenic they say, defence travels.

Pick: Clemson PK

Navy (-7, 52) astatine UAB

4 p.m. PT

QB Braxton Woodson is week-to-week with an ankle injury, which means Jackson Gutierrez apt starts. Gutierrez racked up 100 passing yards and 75 rushing yards to spell with 3 full touchdowns against Florida Atlantic, but the Owls did pb 31-7 astatine half.

Early wealth for this crippled did travel successful connected UAB, possibly arsenic a absorption to the Woodson injury. I’m not definite I’d beryllium backing a squad that lone bushed UL Monroe by 6, a Warhawks squad that conscionable mislaid to SE Louisiana past week, and couldn’t get disconnected the tract against Louisiana.

My enactment is -7 here, but possibly Gutierrez is simply a spark plug for the Middies. I’ll laic -7 here.

Pick: Navy -7