Written by Max Meyer

Five Things You Need To Know

1. Sammy Watkins will not be playing in this game due to suspension
The star receiver failed a drug test this offseason, which led to a two-game suspension. Last season's ACC Freshman of the Year had over 2,000 all-purpose yards to go along with 13 total touchdowns. Clemson will really miss his production not only in the passing game, but also on  special teams and possible trick plays. Charone Peake, another sophomore receiver, will start in Watkins' place. There's a big drop-off between the two as Peake only had four catches in his freshman campaign. Instead, the main target for this game will be junior DeAndre Hopkins. In over 10,000 AccuScore simulations, Hopkins receiving totals averaged out to a little over 100 yards for this game. He will need to have a big game to make up for the loss of Watkins.

2. Auburn has a new offensive and defensive coordinator
This game will be the first time players use the new coordinators' schemes. Auburn will be switching from the spread to Scot Loeffler's pro-style offense. The spread offense did not work nearly as well for Auburn last season after Cam Newton (whose strong inside running was the key in the spread) left for the NFL. Now, the focal point of the offense will be at running back where the bulkier Tre Mason should handle the first and second down carries while explosive Onterio McCalebb can be the third down back. Loeffler was also the former quarterbacks coach for Tim Tebow at Florida, and Auburn hopes that he can make similar magic with quarterback Kiehl Frazier. Auburn hired former Atlanta Falcons coordinator Brian VanGorder to run a defense that ranked 81st in college football in total defense last season. The D has a tough first task in trying to slow down Clemson's high-powered offense.

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3. This is the first game for the Clemson defense since allowing 70 points in the Orange Bowl last season
The Tigers were extremely embarrassed about the drubbing that West Virginia gave them this past January in which they gave up nearly 600 yards to the Mountaineers. Clemson hired long time Oklahoma coach Brent Venables to fix the defense, which has seven starters returning, with a zone-based scheme.  The most difficult challenge for Venables will be revamping a defensive line that only has one proven player in Malliciah Goodman. Clemson's best player on the defensive side is senior safety Rashard Hall who led the team in tackles with 89 and added two interceptions as well.

4. This is Auburn's starting quarterback Kiehl Frazier's first career start
Frazier was a former star recruit who accumulated 11,147 all-purpose yards and 158 touchdowns in his final three years in high school. Last season he was used mostly in Wildcat sets, yet he wasn't a passing threat with only 12 attempted passes (he completed five of them). Frazier has a lot of weapons in the passing game to utilize including wide receiver Emory Blake, tight end Phillip Lutzenkirchen, and McCalebb who figures to have a huge role in the passing game. There may be some adjustment pains for Frazier in running Auburn's new pro-style offense, which is why AccuScore's simulations average out to a little over 200 all-purpose yards for Frazier this game. Frazier will need to make some big plays though to match Clemson's offense if Auburn has any chance of winning this game.

5. Both teams have had monster comebacks against each other the past two seasons.
In 2010, Clemson had a 17-0 lead against Auburn until Newton led the Tigers to an improbable 27-24 overtime victory. Last season, the defending national champs stormed off to a 21-7 lead until Clemson roared back to stun Auburn in a 38-24 win. Both of these teams came back with the help of their home crowds, but this game is being played in Atlanta and both teams are considering this an away game. However, based on the previous two seasons, viewers of this game should know to not change the channel if one team gets off to a big start early.

My Picks and Predictions

OVER 56 Total Points
Despite AccuScore's simulations only having both teams score over that number 35.4 percent of the time, I have two reasons why you should bet over the point total. One is that both teams are unleashing brand new defensive schemes for the first time. There is bound to be some growing pains and mistakes with each defense adjusting to their new playbooks. I think both offenses will take advantage of this (despite Auburn's new offensive philosophy as well), and there will be a plethora of points scored. Second is the potency of Clemson's offense. This was a team that averaged over 33 points a game last season. Clemson is probably licking its chops since it is facing the 81st ranked defense from last season adjusting into a new scheme. Even without Watkins, I still think Clemson will have a lot of big plays this game. Expecting 35 or more points from the Clemson offense is definitely reasonable, which increases the chances of both teams combining to score over 56 points on Saturday.

Clemson (-3.5) vs. Auburn
While AccuScore's simulations have Clemson winning 58.2 percent of the time, the Tigers only cover the spread at a 49.7 percent clip. However, I think Clemson's firepower on offense, led by quarterback Tahj Boyd, running back Andre Ellington, and Hopkins at wide receiver will be too much for Auburn's defense. Don't get me wrong, I think Auburn will be able to put up some points as well, but Clemson should be able to easily outlast Auburn in what I expect to be a shootout. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney will enjoy a huge out of conference win and can only hope that his team builds on this victory to have a great start like their 8-0 one last season. I also think that this game is the third biggest showdown this weekend behind only Alabama-Michigan and Boise State-Michigan State, and will be amongst the most entertaining as well.

Final Prediction:  Clemson 38, Auburn 27

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