College Football Week 1 is finally here! We have a marquee matchup that many have circled since the schedules were announced as the Clemson Tigers head to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.

This is a great matchup to kick off the new season, let's take a look at our Clemson-Georgia prediction and pick.

Athens, GA - APRIL 13: Georgia Bulldogs Quarterback Carson Beck (15) looks down field during the G-Day Red and Black Spring Game on April 13, 2024, Sanford Stadium in Athens, GA. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Why The Clemson Tigers Will Cover The Spread

The Clemson Tigers are coming off a disappointing season under Dabo Swinney finishing with a 9-4 record. They haven't been able to find the same success that they had during their 2015-2020 run and they will be looking to recapture that success when they head to Atlanta, Georgia to spring a huge upset in Week 1.

• Clemson finished the 2023 season 38th in offense success rate, however, ranked just 130th in explosiveness.
• Where Clemson excels is in their defense year-in year-out where in 2023 they finished 9th in EPA per play and 4th in success rate.

Cade Klubnik struggled with his consistency in his first season as the full-time starter for the Clemson Tigers where he finished the season with 2,844 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions with just a 63.9% completion percentage.

The Tigers are hoping that Klubnik can take a step forward in his second season as the starter and with a supporting cast that has gotten better this off-season with key acquisitions.

If this Clemson defense can do what they do best and stifle this Bulldogs offensive line and get after Carson Beck, that will alleviate some pressure off of Klubnik to settle in and potentially come away with the upset in Week 1.

Why The Georgia Bulldogs Will Cover The Spread

The Georgia Bulldogs come into the new season as the consensus favorites to win it all with Quarterback Carson Beck at the helm. Beck will be looking to head this offense and take them to the College Football Playoffs and a National Title Game.

• Beck finished the 2023 season with 3,941 yards to go along with 24 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions.
• The Bulldogs just missed out on the College Football Playoffs with a narrow 3-point defeat to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
• However, Beck and Kendall Milton decimated the Florida State Seminoles in the Orange Bowl with a 60-point victory.

The Bulldogs are hoping to end this season with a National Title before they have another turnover in the offseason and they certainly have the roster to get it done this season as they return 16 players from their 13-1 squad last season.

• They have had a ton of success against Clemson overall where they are 43-18 all-time.
• Their most recent meeting was back in 2021 where they won 10-3 covering the 3-point spread.
• Georgia has now covered four out of their six games against Clemson.

This is supposed to be Carson Beck's breakout year and if he comes out swinging with his supporting cast which is deep and talented even with the loss of Brock Bowers. As long as Beck plays up to his capabilities and this stout Georgia's defense stays true they should come away with a statement victory to kick off the new season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 BETS: CLEMSON TIGERS vs GEORGIA BULLDOGS FANDUEL ODDS FOR AUGUST 31ST

MONEY LINE

• CLEMSON TIGERS: +430
• GEORGIA BULLDOGS: -600

SPREAD

• CLEMSON TIGERS: +13.5 (-106)
• GEORGIA BULLDOGS: -13.5 (-114)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 48.5 (-114)
• UNDER 48.5 (-106)

BEST ODDS FOR CLEMSON TIGERS vs GEORGIA BULLDOGS

• The Georgia Bulldogs are the favorites into this Week 1 marquee matchup. FanDuel currently offers the Bulldogs with the best odds at -13.5 (-110)
• The Clemson Tigers are the underdogs as they open up the new college season on the road. BetRivers currently offers bettors with the best odds at +14 (-120)
• BetMGM currently offers the best odds for the game total, which has the total 48.5 (-110) for the over, and (-110) for the under

CLEMSON TIGERS vs GEORGIA BULLDOGS INJURY REPORT

CLEMSON TIGERS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

1. T. STELLATO - QUESTIONABLE
2. C. TURNER - PROBABLE - ABDOMEN
3. J. GREEN - QUESTIONABLE - LEG

GEORGIA BULLDOGS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

1. R. ROBINSON - QUESTIONABLE - TOE
2. S. MONDON - QUESTIONABLE - SUSPENSION
3. B. HUGHLEY - QUESTIONABLE - SUSPENSION
4. C. YOUNG - QUESTIONABLE - HAMSTRING
5. J. HALL - DOUBTFUL - LEG
6. T. ETIENNE - QUESTIONABLE - SUSPENSION

FINAL CLEMSON-GEORGIA PICK & PREDICTION

We have a great matchup for Week 1 between the consensus No. 1 team in the country Georgia Bulldogs taking on the No. 14 ranked Clemson Tigers.

While Clemson should be a better team this season and may potentially squeak into the College Football Playoffs this season, they have their hands full with Georgia this early in the season. Expect Georgia to make a statement in Week 1 taking it to Clemson and winning by 3 scores or more to cover the spread and get their first win of the season.

FINAL CLEMSON-GEORGIA? PICK & PREDICTION: GEORGIA BULLDOGS: -13.5 (-110)