One of college football's Week 5 marquee matchups sees the surging Syracuse Orange visiting the Clemson Tigers on Saturday at noon ET. The Tigers are 25-point favorites, a jump from the opener of -22 in most markets. The Over-Under for total points scored has risen to 64 in the latest Clemson vs. Syracuse odds from an initial offering of 63.5. The Tigers are looking to take a step toward competing for another ACC title and are coming off a dominant performance last week against Georgia Tech. Syracuse will try for a second straight upset of Clemson behind a powerful offense that has sparked an undefeated start. Before you lock in any Clemson vs. Syracuse picks, be sure to check out what SportLine senior analyst Josh Nagel has to say.

A Nevada-based expert with 20 years of experience in the sports wagering industry, Nagel specializes in handicapping college football. He also has a keen eye for the tendencies of these two programs. Over the past two years, Nagel boasts a record of 13-4 in against the spread picks involving Clemson or Syracuse.

Last season, he was all over Clemson's stretch run to the College Football Playoff and advised followers to back the Tigers as 10-point favorites against Miami in the ACC title game. The result: Clemson rolled to a 38-3 victory, and anyone who followed Nagel's advice pocketed an easy winner. 

Now, he is locked in on Syracuse vs. Clemson. We can tell you he's leaning toward the Over, but his much stronger play is on the spread. He's sharing his selection only over at SportsLine.

Ever since he arrived on campus, the questioned loomed as when -- rather than if -- highly touted freshman Trevor Lawrence would take over as the permanent signal-caller for the Tigers. Incumbent Kelly Bryant played mostly solid last year in leading Clemson to the playoffs, but he struggled with down-field passing against better defenses. Early in the year, coach Dabo Swinney split time between the quarterbacks with Bryant taking the first handful of possessions.

But Lawrence's impact on the game couldn't be ignored. He was inserted against Texas A&M and immediately got the offense roiling. He did the same last week against Georgia Tech after the Tigers gained just 13 yards in the first two drives led by Bryant. He threw three first-half touchdowns to help the Tigers gain separation from a historically stubborn Yellow Jackets club. 

Although the Tigers are the favorites, there's no guarantee they'll cover against a Syracuse team that has an explosive offense and gave the Tigers fits in their previous meeting.

Eric Dungey is a dual-threat quarterback who has been carving up opponents with his explosive runs and downfield passes. The Orange generated some headlines with their 30-7 upset of Florida State two weeks ago, then followed it with a 51-21 thumping of Connecticut last week. Dungey accounted for five touchdowns against the Huskies. He threw for 286 yards and two scores, while rushing for 77 yards and three more touchdowns.

Syracuse's long-suspect defense appears to have made strides, as the Orange have held their last two opponents to 28 combined points.

Nagel has analyzed all the key factors in Clemson vs. Syracuse and unearthed a critical x-factor that causes one side of the spread to hit hard. He's sharing what it is, and who to back, only at SportsLine.

Who covers Syracuse-Clemson? And what critical x-factor determines the spread? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on Saturday, all from the expert on a blistering 13-4 run picking Clemson and Syracuse.