Week 2 2012 Ball St. vs Clemson Predictions
The Ball State Cardinals opened the season with a solid home victory against Eastern Michigan. I know it didn’t make national headlines from the opening weekend but it gave them a head start towards competing in the MAC.
Ball State Cardinals (1-0) vs #12 Clemson Tigers (1-0)
Saturday September 8
Clemson Memorial Stadium – Clemson, SC
12:30PM
Moneyline: Clemson -7000, Ball State +3000
Spread: Clemson -27.5
O/U: 62.5
Ball State
Now they journey to South to the Carolinas for the first of three games against BCS conference opponents. Clemson is out of their league but their game against Indiana the following week is winnable provided they don’t get too roughed up this week.
It was only Eastern Michigan but the Cardinals have to be happy with what they saw on offense last week. They rolled up nearly 600 yards of total offense including a whopping 329 yards on the ground. Against EMU they had great balance which is the key to keeping any defense on their toes. This is especially true when you are outclassed like they will be against Clemson. Sophomore Jahwan Edwards rumbled for 200 yards on 20 carries. They might need that again.
Ball State is a big dog for a reason. Their best chance is maybe Clemson overlooks them a little bit after a war last week against Auburn. I am not sure the Cardinals have enough talent to really make them sweat but it only take a turnover or two to make a big number a losing number. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Clemson
Loved the Tigers vs Tigers matchup last week and for these Tigers to emerge victorious both SU and ATS which they did. Clemson is only going to get better as the season progresses too as they get a couple of key players back from suspension and get more comfortable with their new defensive coordinator. This team is loaded with talent and the main thing that will hold them back is themselves.
With WR Sammy Watkins out last week DeAndre Hopkins showed that he can be the featured received without the team skipping a beat. In fact the whole offense seems to be in pretty good shape as the Tigers put up similar numbers to the Cardinals in their opener but against an SEC defense with a lot of returning starters – 9 if memory serves. Running back Andre Ellington also topped 200 yards and when he dominates this team is near impossible to stop.
As someone who generally favours the dogs I get antsy when the numbers begin approaching 4 scores or more. You just never know when a team is going to take their foot off the gas plus Dabo Swinney isn’t known for always making the most logical choices in games even when they are close.
Spread Pick: Clemson
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Clemson 39 – Ball State 10
