The Clemson Tigers are still in contention to reach the ACC championship game, but they have to take care of business on Saturday in Pittsburgh first. Clemson is a 10-point favorite over the Panthers, who have lost two straight and had starting quarterback Eli Holstein knocked out with an apparent head injury last week.

The Tigers have covered the spread just twice in their last five games, including last weekend in a 24-14 victory over 5.5-point underdog Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Pittsburgh opened the season with seven consecutive wins, covering in six of those occasions, before getting blown out as a 7-point underdog at SMU and then upset as a 7-point favorite last week by Virginia.

Clemson vs Pittsburgh Odds

Odds as of November 12th from BetMGM

Clemson vs Pittsburgh Picks – Week 12

Pittsburgh was one of the best stories of the first half of the college football season, but that all seems like a long time ago given the Panthers’ results of the past two weeks. Of paramount importance for Pitt this week is the condition of Holstein, the Alabama transfer who had passed for 2,100 yards and 17 touchdowns before leaving the Virginia game in the third quarter after apparently taking a blow to the head.

Clemson rebounded from its outright home loss to 11-point underdog Louisville two weeks ago with a fairly convincing victory at Virginia Tech, which scored in the final minutes to make the final margin look closer than it really was. Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik threw three touchdown passes in that game, increasing his total to 24 on the season—second only to Miami’s Cam Ward in the ACC.

Clemson vs Pittsburgh Week 12 Pick: Clemson -10.5 (+100)

Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi is notoriously cagey when it comes to injury information, so we may not know about Holstien’s status until closer to game day—if at all. Clemson has covered just once in its last four games when it’s been favored by double-digits, but the Tigers remain the natural play given what we’ve seen from Pitt the past two weeks.

Clemson vs Pittsburgh Week 12 Pick: UNDER 54.5 (-115)

Pitt’s offense has stalled somewhat the past two weeks, managing just 25 and 19 points against SMU and Virginia, respectively. The Panthers have gone UNDER in four of their last five, Clemson in four of its last six. We’ll stick with that trend, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. 

*picks made as of Tuesday, November 12 at 9:30 am ET

Clemson vs Pittsburgh News

Holstein was hit while sliding to pick up a first down, and Virginia linebacker Trey McDonald was ejected for targeting as a result.  “We don’t talk about injuries, but he seemed OK in the locker room,” Narduzzi told reporters after the game—though take that for what it’s worth. Holstein’s backup, Nate Yarnell, completed just four of 12 attempts for 44 yards. For Clemson, starting left tackle Tristan Leigh rolled an ankle at Virginia Tech and is “definitely day-to-day, for sure,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney told reporters on Sunday.

Clemson vs Pittsburgh Prop Bet: Phil Mafah Anytime TD (-390)

The Clemson running back didn’t find the end zone at Virginia Tech, even though he scampered for 128 yards. But Mafah has been scoring in bunches lately—two touchdowns each against Louisville, Virginia and Wake Forest. He’s carried the ball 26 and 30 times in his past two games, so expect lots of touches on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh.

Clemson vs Pittsburgh Betting Trends

• Clemson is 2-1 ATS this season as a road favorite

• Pittsburgh is 4-2 ATS this season at home

• Pitt has gone UNDER in four of five ACC games this season