SaturdayEdge.com Best Bet: Week One

Why is Clemson favored on a neutral field against a more talented SEC school? I have no idea but I’ll take the “free” 3.5 points all day (or night in this case) long. Last year a far more experienced Clemson team was a 3 point favorite in Death Valley over a young Auburn team playing their first away game of the year. So again I ask, why is Clemson a 3.5 point favorite in this game? Auburn has 16 starters returning, including 10 on what should be a vastly improved defense. Clemson has 13 and will be without their top offensive playmaker, WR Sammy Watkins. Auburn’s composite recruiting rank over the last 4 years is #10 in the country, Clemson is #18. So why is the less talented and less experienced team favored? Perhaps Clemson is favored because Tajh Boyd is a more proven QB option than Kiehl Frazier. But Auburn’s passing game ranked 10th in the SEC last year anyway (ahead of only Ole Miss and Kentucky), and the offense overall ranked 11th in the conference. So it’s not like a...