EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, November 10^th, the (9-0) Clemson Tigers will be on the road to take on the (7-2) Boston College Eagles.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Clemson 40.4 – Boston College 21.3 with an over/under of 61.7.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Clemson 31 – Boston College 21.

Mark is predicting a final score of Clemson 41 – Boston College 21.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Clemson 272.2 YPG > Boston College 214.6 YPG

Rushing offense: Clemson 265.3 YPG > Boston College 225.6 YPG

Scoring offense: Clemson 47.8 PPG > Boston College 37.2 PPG

Scoring defense: Clemson 13.3 PPG > Boston College 24.1 PPG

Passing defense: Clemson 178.8 YPG > Boston College 221.8 YPG

Rushing defense: Clemson 90.4 YPG > Boston College 144.1 YPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Boston College +0.9 > Clemson +0.1

Summary:

Clemson is a perfect (9-0) with wins over Furman, Texas A&M, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Wake Forest, #16 NC State, Florida State, and Louisville.  Last week Clemson blew out Louisville 77-16 and put up 661 yards of total offense.  The Tigers rank 4^th in points per game (47.8) and 4^th in scoring defense (13.3 PPG).  Since taking over at quarterback for Kelly Bryant, Trevor Lawrence has completed 65% of his passes for 1,549 yards with 18 touchdowns to 3 interceptions.  Running back Travis Etienne has rushed for 998 yards and is second in the nation with 15 touchdowns.  Tee Higgins leads the team in receiving yards (514) and touchdowns (7) but Justyn Ross is their best deep threat (21.6 YPC).  The Tigers’ defense ranks 17^th against the pass (178.8 YPG) and 6^th against the run (90.4 YPG).

Boston College is (7-2) with victories over UMass, Holy Cross, Wake Forest, Temple, Louisville, Miami (FL), and Virginia Tech.  They were defeated by Purdue week four and #23 NC State in week six.  Boston College is coming off a strong 31-21 road win over Virginia Tech.  The Eagles rank 23^rd in points per game (37.2) and 47^th in scoring defense (24.1 PPG).  Quarterback Anthony Brown has completed 57% of his passes for 1,567 yards with 15 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.  A.J. Dillon is one of the best running backs in the country rushing for 897 yards and 8 touchdowns.  Boston College lacks playmakers on the outside and is overly reliant on Dillon to carry the offense week after week.  The Eagles’ defense ranks 56^th against the pass (221.8 YPG) and 46^th against the run (144.1 YPG).  Boston College has the 10^th best turnover margin in the country (+0.9).

Bottom Line:

Since the scare against Syracuse, Clemson is averaging an absurd 60 points per game.  Clemson’s defense has the second most sacks in the nation (33) and will load up the box to stop A.J. Dillon.  Because they are at home, Boston College will cover the spread, but I’m taking the Tigers.

Clemson wins 36-20

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