Gator Bowl Pick: Clemson vs. Kentucky Betting Analysis

No. 22 Clemson Tigers (8-4 SU, 6-6 ATS) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (7-5 SU, 6-6 ATS)

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Betting Preview

Date/Time: Friday, December 29th, 2023, 12:00 PM (EST)

Where: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL.

TV: ESPN

Betting Odds:

Point Spread: CLEM -4.5/UK +4.5

Moneyline: CLEM -195/UK +175

Total: 46.5

Looking back, it was definitely not the type of season that college football fans have expected from Head Coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. Despite being one of the more frequent playoff teams in the college football playoff era, the Tigers suffered a setback this season with an 8-4 SU record, which marked the first time since 2010 that Clemson failed to reach 10 wins in a single season. While the problems for Swinney’s team have been heavily publicized on the offensive side of the football, Clemson will use their TaxSlayer Gator Bowl matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats to hopefully build some momentum going into the offseason.

Earlier this year, the Kentucky Wildcats were an emerging Cinderella Story following a 5-0 start highlighted by a big victory over Florida. However, the Wildcats’ Cinderella Story hit midnight about halfway through the season, and the team dropped 5 of their last 7 games. Despite the disappointing 2nd half of the season, the Wildcats did pick up a big win in their final game of the season against in-state rival Louisville, who made it to the ACC Championship Game this year. As a result, Kentucky will be looking to close out the year with another big victory over an ACC opponent and also build their own momentum going into the offseason.

Clemson Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Trends

• Clemson is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games.
• Clemson is 4-1 SU in the last 5 games.
• Clemson has hit the “under” in 6 of the last 9 games.
• Clemson has hit the “under” in 4 of the last 5 games against SEC opponents.
• Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games.
• Kentucky is 2-5 SU in the last 7 games.
• Kentucky has hit the “over” in 7 of the last 9 games.
• Kentucky is 1-6 SU in the last 7 games as the betting underdog.

Clemson Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats Betting Prediction

Unless Clemson just totally snoozes through the postseason, I think this is a very favorable matchup for them on both sides of the football. The Clemson defense has the biggest advantage, and I think it will carry the Tigers to an easy win!

Jay’s Pick: Take Clemson -4.5