2005 Clemson Tigers Handicapping Review

 

By Tom Wilkinson

 

Clemson entered the 2004 season coming off back to back streaky years against the odds which were a great sports handicapping lesson on market corrections and value against the odds.

The bizarre pointspread pattern of Clemson actually dated back to 2001 when they rallied to win their last three games both straight up and against the odds to salvage a 7-5 record that included a Humanitarian Bowl win. Clemson then won and covered their first three games of 2002, which gave them six consecutive wins against the odds. Then the market crashed on Clemson and they dropped six consecutive games against the sports betting line before splitting their final four games against the spread. After losing their 2003 opener to Georgia 30-0 Clemson had dropped 9 of their last 11 against the odds. Incredibly enough, however, they were to beat the sports betting line in 8 of their final 11 games of 2003 demonstrating a market correction in the opposite extreme.

Clemson’s 2004 season was to feature wild value corrections against the odds in BOTH directions. In fact, the Tigers played two seasons within the single 2004 campaign as head coach Tommy Bowden barely escaped with his job.

The Tigers started off the campaign 1-4 straight up and 0-5 against the odds. Numerous online sports betting blogs were posting the most vile comments about Bowden and his Clemson program and many sports bettors swore off the Tigers for the rest of the season. Those who have been around the sports handicapping block knew what that meant, however; it was time to consider including Clemson on their lists of football picks because as the general sports betting public abandoned the Tigers, their value would increase significantly.

Clemson went on to win five of their final six games straight up, and winning four of those games against the odds. The Tigers would have been bowl eligible, in fact, had the University administration not banned them from post-season competition due to a brawl in the season finale at South Carolina. Bowden saved his job, if only barely, and bargain hunters took advantage of the sports betting odds makers correcting the lines at online sports betting boards and casino sportsbooks to attract action back to the Tigers.