Clemson’s National Championship Odds Still +225 After Announcement Justyn Ross Out For 2020 Season After Spinal Surgery

• Clemson WR Justyn Ross has been ruled out for the 2020 season due to a congenital fusion condition
• Ross was one of the best receivers in the nation and a projected 2021 top-10 NFL Draft pick
• How will this injury affect the Heisman odds and Clemson’s title chances?

Clemson is still being listed as a +225 favorite in the  National Championship odds following news that top receiver Justyn Ross will not play in 2020 due to injury.

How is this injury going to affect the Heisman Tropthy chances for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne? Is Clemson still worth betting on to win a championship?

2021 National Championship Odds

Odds taken June 1

Ross Injury A Major Loss

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced in his press conference Monday that WR Justyn Ross will undergo surgery for a congenital fusion in his back and spine. He has been ruled out for the 2020 season.

Swinney added that, in a worse-case scenario, Ross may never be able to play football again.

Breaking injury update from Clemson: Justyn Ross is going to have surgery Friday. When he had an X-ray after the spring injury, he learned he was born with something called congenital fusion. He will not play this season.

— Grace Raynor (@gmraynor) June 1, 2020

There’s no dancing around this; it is a major loss for the Tigers. Ross has been one of the nation’s top receivers over the last two years and was going to be Trevor Lawrence’s top target in 2020 following the departure of Tee Higgins to the NFL.

Losing Ross is tough, but Clemson still has a talented receiver core. Wideout Amari Rodgers is returning for his senior season, while five-star 2019 recruits Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson will get more targets in 2020. Incoming true freshman E.J. Williams is also a promising youngster who could contribute immediately.

Lawrence Trending Down, Etienne Up in Heisman Value

Losing your top receiver is the last thing you want to happen as a starting quarterback. Lawrence should see his Heisman odds suffer following news that a player he threw 66 completions to in 2019 won’t be playing at all in 2020.

Even before news that Ross won’t play this season, running back Travis Etienne had the better value over Lawrence in the Heisman odds. As talented as Lawrence is, he might not play enough to have Heisman-worthy numbers if Clemson jumps out to huge first-half leads on a regular basis. He could also fall out of the race early if he repeats his slow start from 2019.

Etienne was a top-10 running back as a junior in 2019 and is going to get a mammoth number of touches in 2020. That +1700 value in the Heisman odds is looking juicy following the Ross injury news.

Clemson Still Owns ACC

Until proven otherwise, the Tigers are the team to beat in the ACC. Clemson is 29-1 in its last 30 games and has the number-one ranked recruiting class in the conference. With no real threat to them in the ACC, the Tigers remain a great bet to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff.

Clemson has won 21-straight ACC games, the longest active streak in the country.@ClemsonFB’s last ACC loss was to Syracuse in October of 2017.

Dabo has DOMINATED his ACC competition. pic.twitter.com/cPYfQJKQ7R

— Cover 3 Podcast (@Cover3Podcast) May 29, 2020

The Ross news has more of an implication on the National Championship and Heisman odds. Etienne is now looking like a great value bet for the Heisman, while Ohio State and Justin Fields are seeing their value increase on both fronts.

If it weren’t for two controversial calls that didn’t go their way in the 2019 CFP semifinal, many will argue that the Buckeyes would’ve taken down the Tigers. Ohio State is once again going to be a powerhouse and is returning two of its top receivers, in addition to having the country’s top WR recruiting class.

Fields was already the better bet over Lawrence for the Heisman, and this news should make you feel even more confident. Clemson is still close to a lock to win the ACC, but Ohio State (+350) is looking like a strong championship bet with the news that one of nation’s best wide receivers won’t be in action this year.