Clemson Still -500 Favorite to Win ACC Championship After Losing to Notre Dame
- Clemson remains the -500 favorite to win the ACC championship despite losing at Notre Dame in double overtime on Saturday
- Brian Kelly’s Irish remain the second choice at odds of +300 to wrestle the conference from the Tigers
- Are we destined to see these two team meet again in Charlotte? See updated ACC title odds below
Notre Dame is now in control of the ACC standings following its stirring victory over Clemson, but the Fighting Irish are not favored to win the conference title.
Now second place Clemson is still the odds-on choice to win its sixth consecutive ACC crown despite losing 47-40 in double overtime to Notre Dame on Saturday night in South Bend.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACC dropped its divisional format for this season. Instead, the top two teams will meet in the conference championship game on Dec. 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Notre Dame and Clemson are on a collision course to meet again six days before Christmas. The oddsmakers clearly like the Tigers’ chances of gaining revenge.
2020 ACC Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Clemson | -500 |
| Notre Dame | +300 |
| Miami | +2000 |
| North Carolina | +3300 |
| Virginia Tech | +5000 |
| North Carolina State | +10000 |
| Wake Forest | +10000 |
| Pittsburgh | +25000 |
| Boston College | +50000 |
Odds taken Nov. 9 from DraftKings
Notre Dame (7-0 overall, 6-0 in the ACC) is in first place by one game over Clemson (7-1, 6-1) in the aftermath of Saturday night’s instant classic.
Irish Have Potential Landmines on the Schedule
Notre Dame has four games remaining. The Fighting Irish visit Boston College this Saturday. They then travel to North Carolina on Nov. 27th, host Syracuse on Dec. 5th and play at Wake Forest on Dec. 12th.
Notre Dame is a 12.5-point favorite against Boston College. However, there are some reasons to think the Eagles could present a challenge.
For one, Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec should certainly be motivated. He transferred from Notre Dame due to being stuck behind Ian Book on the depth chart.
Phil Jurkovec is going to be playing on Sundays pic.twitter.com/CizibaYCAQ
— Kevin (@kev262626) October 3, 2020
Also, the last time Notre Dame beat a team ranked No. 1 before Saturday was in 1993, when it downed Florida State. The following week, the Fighting Irish were upset by Boston College.
Notre Dame will likely be a four-touchdown favorite over Syracuse, but it seems likely the Fighting Irish will be single digit picks in the game at North Carolina and Wake Forest.
While North Carolina has split its last four games following a 2-2 start, it is seventh in the nation in total offense (537.9 YPG) and 13th in scoring (40.9 PPG).
The Tar Heels have plenty of playmakers, led by QB Sam Howell, running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter and wide receiver Dyami Brown.
Make that FOUR first-half TDs for Javonte Williams 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sZBFtxDkGG
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 7, 2020
Wake Forest has won four straight games since back-to-back losses to begin the season. The Demon Deacons also have a potent offense, scoring 31 points a game.
Smooth Sailing for Clemson
Clemson looks to have an easy path to the ACC title game with three games remaining in the regular season.
The Tigers are idle this week, then visit Florida State on Nov. 21st, host Pittsburgh on Nov. 28th and travel to Virginia Tech on Dec. 5th.
Clemson will be easily favored in all three games. Most likely, they will be a four-touchdown choice over Florida State, a three-touchdown pick over Pittsburgh and a two-TD favorite over Virginia Tech.
And lest we forget that star quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be back for Florida State after missing the previous two games after testing positive for COVID-19.
Proud to be a tiger.
Right back to work.— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) November 8, 2020
It might seem at first glance that a season-ending trip to Blacksburg, to take on the Hokies could be a potential tough one for Clemson. However, Virginia Tech is not invincible at Lane Stadium anymore. That was evidenced by their 38-35 loss to Liberty on Saturday as a 17-point favorite.
It is instructive to note, though, that Pitt pulled a 43-42 upset over Clemson in 2016 in its only visit to Death Valley.
The Tigers have run off 27 wins in a row at Memorial Stadium since that stunner.
What About Miami?
One-loss Miami theoretically has a chance to wind up in the championship game.
The Hurricanes have four games left – at Virginia Tech, vs. Georgia Tech, at Wake Forest and vs. North Carolina.
Miami could be favored in all four games. Yet with the Hurricanes, the spreads against all but Georgia Tech figure to be small.
Since getting hammered 42-17 at Clemson on Oct. 10, they have won three in a row. However, those included a five-point win over Virginia and a three-point victory at North Carolina State.
Miami is no sure bet to win each of last four games. Even if it does, that will not enough unless Notre Dame or Clemson stumbles.
It looks like we will have Notre Dame-Clemson II during the Christmas season and it is difficult to imagine the Fighting Irish beating the Tigers twice in the same season.
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
