Clemson (9-3) vs. Auburn (8-4)
December 31, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Talk about two similar teams.
First, they're both Tigers.
Second, they both tout orange as a color.
Third, their coaches briefly flirted with that Arkansas vacancy. Oh, and they're both named Tommy.
Fourth, both play outstanding defense.
And that's what this game will be about. Both defenses are sure to bend, but will one of them break? At first glance, you would think it would be Auburn's, considering Clemson will throw James Davis and C.J. Spiller at Will Muschamp's defense. But the two haven't been stellar this year and Auburn handled Darren McFadden and Felix Jones just fine in a 9-7 win during the season.
While it was supposed to be Spiller and Davis, quarterback Cullen Harper has been the one putting up numbers for Clemson, completing 67% of his passes while throwing for 27 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Clemson is actually a decent football team that was awfully close to playing for the ACC title. I'll take them over an Auburn team with virtually no offense.
The line: Clemson -2.5
The pick: Clemson