Konica Minolta Gator Bowl NCAA Football Betting Picks Nebraska Cornhuskers versus Clemson Tigers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers defended only 740 plays this season, 201 fewer than last season. This hoarding of the ball by the offense has helped the defense make in-game adjustments and kept the shorthanded Cornhuskers rested into the fourth quarter. The Nebraska Cornhuskers finished up their season on a strong note, going 5-1 down the stretch after starting the season at 3-3. Their only loss in their final six games was a 34-point beatdown at the hands of Oklahoma. The Nebraska Cornhuskers is 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight-up win. They are 2-5 ATS in their last seven non-conference games, and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 as an underdog. Playing in the best conference in the nation this season, the Big 12, the Nebraska Cornhuskers finished sixth in passing and total offense in the conference, averaging 285 yards per game passing and scoring 36 points per game.

The Clemson Tigers started the season 3-3 before firing Tommy Bowden and finishing up 4-2. Two of those wins included a 17-point beatdown of South Carolina, who had the same 7-5 record, and a six-point win against Boston College in Boston, ending a three-year conference losing streak to the Eagles, as well as six straight overall. The Clemson Tigers were the top rated ACC defense against the pass, giving up only 168 yards per game, and fourth in total defense in the conference, giving up only 294 yards per game and less than 17 points per game. The Clemson Tigers are 1-4 ATS in their last five bowl games, and 1-4 ATS in the last five neutral site games. They are 0-4 ATS in their last four bowls as favourites.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers has been to forty-four Bowl games since it lost the 1941 Rose Bowl to Stanford. The Huskers feel they belong. Bill Callahan was replaced this year as head coach by Bo Pelini, the former LSU defensive co-ordinator, and Pelini has already brought visible results. Nebraska finished 8-4 for the year, 5-3 in the Big 12 and are ranked 11th in the nation in passing yards. The only reason that quarterback Joe Ganz doesn’t have a bigger national profile is because when you play in the same conference as Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell, Heisman candidates all, it can be hard to find the airtime.

Fearless NCAA Football betting prediction: Clemson Tigers by 2 points

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