Over the past decade, the Clemson Tigers have made six appearances in the ACC title game and won all of them. On Saturday night, they will attempt to make it seven straight when they face the upstart No. 23 North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2022 ACC Championship Game. The No. 9-ranked Tigers (10-2) had won six consecutive titles until last year, when they failed to reach the championship game and Pittsburgh defeated Wake Forest 45-21 for the title. But they rebounded and are back in a familiar place against the No. 23 Tar Heels (9-3), who are making their second ACC title appearance in program history. The first resulted in a 45-37 loss to Clemson in 2015.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Caesar Sportsbook lists the Tigers at -7.5 in the latest Clemson vs. UNC odds. The over/under for total points is set at 63.5. Before making any North Carolina vs. Clemson picks, make sure you check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen substantial returns.
Now, the model has locked in on Clemson vs. UNC in the 2022 ACC Championship game from every angle and released its college football picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for UNC vs. Clemson
- Clemson vs. North Carolina point spread: Clemson -7.5
- Clemson vs. North Carolina over/under: 63.5 points
- Clemson vs. North Carolina money line: Clemson -285, North Carolina +228
- UNC: The Tar Heels are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games following a loss
- CLEM: The favorite is 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings in this series
- Clemson vs. North Carolina picks: See picks here
Why Clemson can cover
Although Clemson's offense has struggled for explosive plays in the passing game, it has relied on a powerful and consistent run game to generate most of its production. The run game is led by sophomore Will Shipley, who has emerged as one of the top running backs in the country and will likely be among the Heisman favorites next season.
Shipley has rushed for at least 104 yards five times this season and is coming off one of his best outings of the year. He logged 132 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown in the loss to South Carolina. For the season, he has totaled 1,092 yards on 168 carries with 14 touchdowns. He has found the end zone in all but two games.
This is also a homecoming of sorts for the workhorse running back. He is from the state of North Carolina and was heavily recruited by all the FBS programs in his home state including the Tar Heels and N.C. State, from which both of his parents are alums. He ultimately chose Clemson ahead of Notre Dame.
Why North Carolina can cover
The Tar Heels ended their regular season with losses to a rebuilding Georgia Tech club and rival N.C. State by seven combined points, leading some critics to conclude that they essentially mailed in their final two games after securing the title-game appearance with a 36-34 win at Wake Forest.
However, coach Mack Brown said this week that he refutes such criticism. He said his team remained focused despite wrapping up the bid early and just happened to come up short against two inspired opponents that made an extra play or two to win in crunch time. Brown told the media at his weekly news conference that he refuses to dwell on those losses and emphasized that his team earned its way to the ACC Championship Game.
"They're still the champions of the Coastal for the second time in school history," Brown said. "I'm not going to sit around and feel bad. I'm not going to feel embarrassed for nine wins. I'll give two teams credit that beat us at home at the end, which I'm disappointed in, and the team's disappointed in. But when your team plays as hard as they can play, that's all you can ask them to do."
How to make Clemson vs. North Carolina picks
The model has simulated Clemson vs. North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting 63 total points scored. It's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins UNC vs. Clemson? And which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
