This is an 8* BLOWOUT on Clemson.

While I do think the outright win is not out of the question, I will in the end recommend grabbing as many points as you can as I expect this one to come down to the wire. They say defense wins championships, and while that is some times the case, it's clearly not always the case. But in this case, I do think that Clemson's top ranked defensive unit will prove to be the difference and expect it to slow down Oklahoma's high-powered offense just enough to at the very least sneak in through the back door down the stretch. With a full month off to prepare, I think the Tigers offense will be fine today, QB Cole Stoudt saw action in every game this year and may have struggled at times, but I expect the unit to be prepared today: "We have full confidence in our offense and their abilities," Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. "They just got to handle their adversity and they're going to do fine, but we're going to continue to do our part and do what we've been doing all year and try to put a strong finish on our season." Stoudt needs to be good today, not great as the Tigers would rank first in the FBS in total defense, third in passing and seventh in rushing. One player to keep your eyes on today is DE Vic Beasley, a first-team All-Amercian and the ACC defensive player of the year who finished with 11 sacks and 18.5 tackles for a loss; not surprisingly, only one of Clemson's last eight opponents scored more than 20 points. The Sooners would finish 10th in the country in scoring with an average of 38.9 points per game but went 0-3 vs. Top 25 teams this year. A weak point for Oklahoma though is clearly on the defensive side as the unit will be without a pair of starters in cornerback Julian Wilson and linebacker Geneo Grissom. Note that the Sooners were particularly poor against the pass, giving up an average of nearly 273 yards per game to rank 115th out of 125 FBS schools. Strength vs. Strength. Defense wins this one. Play on CLEMSON.

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