No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 23 West Virginia
Jan. 4, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
At Miami Gardens, Fla.
If the Tigers jump out to a lead, the Mountaineers will have them right where they want them. Eight of West Virginia’s nine victories, including the last three that made this BCS berth possible, were of the come-from-behind variety.
Mostly it was the West Virginia defense that made the biggest difference when the league title was on the line down the stretch. Who could forget sacking Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri 10 times or the crucial fumble linebacker Najee Goode forced in the final minutes of the regular-season finale at South Florida?
For rookie head coach Dana Holgorsen to complete a dream season, the Mountaineer defense will have to continue being at its play-making best against Clemson’s multifaceted attack triggered by quarterback Tajh Boyd and fueled by the running of Andre Ellington.
Sensational Tiger wideout Sammy Watkins, who a year ago was playing high school football in nearby Fort Myers, Fla., will get most of the media attention, but West Virginia (9-3) has a pair of elite receivers of its own in Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin, who combined for 15 touchdowns and both went over a 1,000 yards this season. They are big reasons why Mountaineer quarterback Geno Smith has thrown for 25 touchdowns and nearly 4,000 yards.
It ain’t easy to figure out the Tigers. After starting the season with eight consecutive victories, Clemson (10-3) reverted to being Clemson, losing three of its last four regular-season games. But from the depths of despair, which included back-to-back miserable showings at N.C. State and South Carolina, the Tigers rose up and snatched the ACC title away from then-No. 5 ranked Virginia Tech, 38-10.
Can they keep it going? Have they solved their pass protection issues? Time will tell, but we aren’t willing to go against our man Dabo Swinney, who looks like he’s currently rolling in the right direction.
Opening point spread: Pick ‘em
The pick: Clemson 31-27
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