College Football Predictions: North Texas vs Clemson - Week 1 Odds

The Clemson Tigers begin their quest to return to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game as they open the season with a non conference tune up against the North Texas Mean Green. Kick-off is set for 3:30pm EST for the game can be seen on ESPNU. Online sportsbooks and Vegas odds have opened with Clemson -28 in college football odds for week 1 and a total of 54.5. North Texas has struggled with 4th year head coach Todd Dodge who is under fire after going 2-10, 1-11, and 2-10 in his first 3 years on the job. The Mean Green does return 9 starters on offense and 8 on defense heading into 2010 college football betting predictions with Junior RB Lance Dunbar is a major weapon as he ran for 1,433 yards and 17 TD’s last year.

The defense allowed 36 points per game which was actually a 12-point improvement from 2008 and should continue to improve. North Texas has gone 14-25 against the spread in college football odds as a road underdog and just 9-24 ATS in non conference action. Dabo Swinney led Clemson to the ACC Atlantic Division title in his first full season on the job as the Tigers finished 9-5 and with a Music City Bowl win over Kentucky. Swinney will face the huge challenge of replacing departed super star CJ Spiller, who rushed for 1,271 yards and ran back 5 kicks for scores last year.

The offense returns 7 starters led by sophomore Kyle Parker, who passed for 2,526 yards and 20 TD’s last year. Parker has lost his top 3 receivers to graduation. The defense returns 6 starters after allowing 20 PPG last year. Clemson was 4-2 ATS in college football picks as a home favorite last year. North Texas is expecting a much improved team due to their experienced lineup and Clemson has huge holes to fill which may make covering such a big number a challenge on opening day.