Defending ACC champion Clemson tries to stay alive in its attempt to repeat when its hosts 6-4 North Carolina State Saturday afternoon (3:30 pm ET, ABC/ESPN2).

In the early betting the Tigers, who are tied with Florida State for the lead in the Atlantic Division but don't own the tie-break with the 'Noles, were early 17-point favorites over the Wolfpack.



View North Carolina State vs Clemson Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Several shops tracked by OddsShark (including Sportsbook) set the point spread at 17 in favor of the home side. NCAA football bettors had to wait for the Sportsbook over under value, which was not available at press time (check the live lines pages here for the latest totals updates).

Power Rankings / Prediction: The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Tigers at No. 31 and the Wolfpack at No. 87 heading into this contest. Handicapping models project a 49-33 result in favor of the Tigers.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Clemson's No. 6-ranked offense (42.9 PPG) against a Wolfpack defense that ranks No. 30 at 22.3 PPG. The Tigers passing attack has averaged 322.1 yards per game, more than the Wolfpack give up through the air (259.2 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Wolfpack feature the league's No. 33-rated road run defense, allowing 134.5 yards per game. Clemson, meanwhile, ranks No. 74 in rushing offense at home.

In their last action, North Carolina State was a 37-6 Sportsbook at home against Wake Forest. They covered the 9.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (43) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Shadrach Thornton tore up the turf for 110 rushing yards in the latest Wolfpack game, a 37-6 win over the Demon Deacons at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Clemson was a 45-10 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Maryland. They covered the 31.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (55) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. Clemson cruised to victory in its last outing, as they ran up a 45-10 score against Maryland at Memorial Stadium.


North Carolina State Wolfpack Trends:
When playing in November are 6-4
When playing on grass are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 6-4

Clemson Tigers Trends:
When playing in November are 5-5
When playing on grass are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 8-2

A few Wolfpack at Tigers trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of North Carolina State's last 5 games when playing on the road against Clemson
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of North Carolina State's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of North Carolina State's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of North Carolina State's last 7 games when playing Clemson
Clemson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Clemson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Clemson is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing North Carolina State
Clemson is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against North Carolina State


Next up:
North Carolina State home to Boston College, Saturday, November 24
Clemson home to South Carolina, Saturday, November 24