The Tennessee Volunteers and Clemson Tigers are in Miami for the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. This is the most attractive New Year’s Six bowl games that is not a playoff matchup. TheSportsGeek has Tennessee vs. Clemson predictions and Orange Bowl best bets for Friday night.
Tennessee finished 6th in the final College Football Playoff poll. They were left out of the top-4 because of a 63-38 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks on November 19. Beat South Carolina and Tennessee likely edges out Ohio State for the College Football Playoff.
No. 6 Tennessee. No. 7 Clemson.
Which team will win this top-10 showdown in the Capital One Orange Bowl?
(📍 @CapitalOne) pic.twitter.com/9zqzpTZtjd
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 27, 2022
via@ESPNCFB
The Vols’ only other loss this season was a 27-13 final at Georgia on November 5. That would have been a “better” loss than Ohio State getting drilled at home versus Michigan. Tennessee still had a season to remember, which included a 52-49 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Hendon Hooker was also involved in the mix for the Heisman Trophy before a season-ending ACL injury in November. He looked like a lock to at least go to the Heisman Trophy ceremony after his effort over Alabama. Unfortunately, the injury took him out of the running just like that.
Clemson will not have their starter from this season, either. It is probably a good thing for Clemson. Dabo Swinney waited too long to bench D.J. Uiagalelei and go to freshman Cade Klubnik.
Klubnik stepped into the ACC Championship Game and propelled the Tigers to a 39-10 win. Tennessee can’t overlook Klubnik despite being inexperienced going into the Orange Bowl. The Volunteers should be in good hands with Joe Milton, though.
Head below for our Tennessee vs. Clemson best bets and Orange Bowl betting pick for December 30, 2022.
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Tennessee Volunteers vs. Clemson Tigers Live Betting Odds:
| Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Volunteers | +5.5 (-110) | +175 | Over 63.5 (-110) |
| Clemson Tigers | -5.5 (-110) | -210 | Under 63.5 (-110) |
| Team Data | Tennessee Volunteers | Clemson Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 10-2 | 11-2 |
| ATS Record | 9-3-0 | 7-6-0 |
| Away/Home Record | NEUTRAL | NEUTRAL |
| ATS Away/Home | NEUTRAL | NEUTRAL |
| Yards Per Game | 538.1 | 404.6 |
| Yards Against Per Game | 368.8 | 362.0 |
| Passing Yards Per Game | 398.8 | 331.2 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game | 205.8 | 179.5 |
Tennessee vs. Clemson Predictions
This is a bowl matchup that we are looking forward to at TheSportsGeek. There are not many attractive bowl matchups this year, but the Volunteers and Tigers provide something to look forward to that isn’t playoff related.
Cade Klubnik is in for a successful year at quarterback. He was highly touted coming out of high school and Clemson landed him. Is Klubnik ready for the bright lights of the Orange Bowl in his first career start?
Coming off the bench to play well in the ACC Championship Game was certainly impressive, though. The Clemson defense has to receive a lot of credit for that 39-10 victory.
Do Not Sleep On Joe Milton
The former Michigan Wolverine could have easily been a starter somewhere this season. He wasn’t at Tennessee because Mixon was stuck behind a Heisman Trophy candidate. Hendon Hooker is a tremendous talent, but Mixon can sling the ball around, too.
Mixon’s best talent has to be protecting the ball and not making bad decisions to ruin a game. He has yet to throw an interception in two years at Tennessee. He has passed for 720 yards with 7 touchdowns and no interceptions this year.
How far can Joe throw an orange 🍊 ❓@OrangeBowl @Qbjayy7 #GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/lEP9aUTEJm
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) December 22, 2022
via@Vol_Football
In his first season with the Volts, Milton had 2 touchdown passes and no interceptions. The problem with Milton is that he sometimes puts too much on his balls. If he can fix his deep ball, Milton is looking at an NFL contract.
The Vols lead college football with 538.1 yards and 47.3 points per game. The passing game is the third-best in the FBS, with 332.3 yards a game. Despite the injury to Hooker, Milton still has the tools to put up big numbers in this offense.
Remember The Name
Klubnik is going to get plenty of recognition over the next two years. He is not the most well-known name right now, but will see the spotlight soon. Tennessee has some holes in the secondary for him to exploit.
yeaaaa, that's a dot 🎯@CadeKlubnikQB pic.twitter.com/VQ39SVJzaw
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 27, 2022
via@ClemsonFB
The Vols allowed an average of 286.7 passing yards per game in the regular season. They can, however, stop the run at an elite level. Tennessee looks like an SEC defense in this regard, with 112.2 rushing yards against per game for 18th.
Klubnik should put together a solid game in the Orange Bowl. At any rate, this is still only his first start in college. It is hard to expect him to do everything here. With the Vols strong in the box defensively, this game is going to fall on the freshman in his first start.
Tennessee vs. Clemson Betting Pick:
The public will not look at Milton favorably as the backup behind Hooker. However, he is going to make plays against this solid Clemson defense.
There has just always been a quarterback that has had a slight edge on Milton in his career at Michigan and Tennessee. This does not make him a bad quarterback, though.
We are getting some value with the highest-scoring offense in college football. The Tigers can win this game with their superior defense. But, the Orange Bowl is probably going down to the wire in the 4th quarter.
For our Tennessee vs. Clemson prediction, a final score of 38-35 looks about right. The underdog plus the points is our best bet at TheSportsGeek.
