Paw Predictions: No. 3 Clemson vs. Pittsburgh
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No. 3 Clemson is playing football for the first time in three weeks, returning home to take on Pittsburgh, and the Tigers are currently a 23.5 point favorite over the Panthers. You can see how the national media is viewing this game below.
The last time they played:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYVpefLY5RU
What they said:
This is not the easiest spot for Clemson. The Tigers haven't played in 21 days, and they are facing a team that did not quit even after four straight losses in the middle of the year and the opt-out of a defensive star. But Clemson should be as healthy as they've been in a long time. Trevor Lawrence's return to action will give the team some juice, but the big difference will be the defensive players that are back. In what could be a defensive fistfight for much of the day, Clemson will get back to its winning ways by beating Pittsburgh.
Bleacher Report, 41-24 Clemson
What they said:
Speaking of potential rust, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has not played since Oct. 24. He missed the Oct. 31 and Nov. 7 games after testing positive for COVID-19, Clemson had a designed bye on Nov. 14, and it had an unexpected bye on Nov. 21 when its game against Florida State was postponed Saturday morning.
Lawrence hasn't been particularly human thus far in his college career, so we expect he'll be more than fine. But it bears mentioning that Pittsburgh blew out both Florida State and Virginia Tech in its last two games and surely has no intentions of simply kissing Clemson's rings here. It also bears mentioning that 5-4 Pittsburgh won at third-ranked Clemson in their only previous regular-season meeting in 2016.
I'm not picking the upset, but those are fun things to point out.
What they said:
One of the reasons to like Pitt in any matchup is going to be its defensive line. The Panthers are among the best teams in the country in tackles for loss and stopping the run, which makes it more difficult for everything that Clemson wants to do offensively. Throw in Kenny Pickett's recent hot streak moving the ball through the air and you've got the makings of a far more interesting game than the oddsmakers suggest.
College Football News, 44-17 Clemson
What they said:
Is this when Clemson turns it on? It’s got its guy back under center, it had a break that was probably a good thing for the finishing kick, and now Pitt will get the anger directed towards Florida State.
Pitt will have its moments, but after sitting on the loss to Notre Dame for a few weeks, look out.