Week 2 – Ball State at Clemson

Week 2 CFN Fearless Prediction – Ball State at Clemson

Ball State (1-0) at Clemson (1-0) Sept. 8, 12:30, ACC Network

Here’s The Deal: Clemson proudly carried the ACC banner over the weekend, outscoring Auburn, 26-19, in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta. It was a consequential victory for the Tigers, who were aiming to bounce back from the Orange Bowl thrashing it endured eight months earlier. One of three favorites to cop the league’s automatic BCS bowl berth, it has two tune-ups before travelling to Tallahassee for the Sept. 22 showdown with Florida State. Ball State notched a win, a MAC win to be specific, by defeating Eastern Michigan, 37-26, at home last Thursday night. The Cardinals, who’re embarking on their first of three straight games against AQ conference teams, are looking to inch a step closer to bowl eligibility in 2012 after just missing their target a year ago.

Why Ball State Might Win: The Cardinals offense is pretty good, nuancing the passing of Keith Wenning to Jamill Smith with the running of Jahwan Edwards. Edwards gashed Eastern Michigan a week ago for 200 yards and three scores on only 20 carries. Although Clemson did a very nice job defensively in the Georgia Dome, it remains a vulnerable program on that side of the ball. Sure, the Tigers played with maximum intensity against Auburn, but they also showed cracks versus the run, and unlikely to perform with the same passion and ferocity with a middling MAC team coming to town.

Why Clemson Might Win: Ball State will have to work to finish above .500 largely because of the play of the defense. Uh-oh. Clemson stakes claim to one of the nation’s more dynamic offensive attacks, a high-powered, Chad Morris production that gets back electrifying WR Sammy Watkins from suspension. Tajh Boyd is the veteran triggerman, Andre Ellington jetted for 231 yards rushing in Week 1 and DeAndre Hopkins showed that the Tigers harbor more than one go-to receiver. Provided the team remains focused, it’ll trade a few more Chandler Catanzaro field goals for touchdowns against this week’s opponent.

What To Watch Out For: A couple of seniors, DE Malliciah Goodman and LB Jonathan Willard, were the faces of the resurgent Clemson defense in Atlanta. Goodman applied steady pressure the traditional way, while Willard clean up messes from the second level. The pair will need to set the tone for the Tigers over the course of the season, because staying ahead of the likes of Florida State and Virginia Tech in the league mandates that they’re tougher to penetrate than they were late in 2011.

What Will Happen: Will Clemson appear a little sloppy and sluggish in the first quarter? You bet. Will it matter in the end? No way. The Tigers will have a tough time getting up for Ball State, but it’ll help having a bunch of homerun hitters, like Ellington, Watkins and Hopkins, to bail the team out. Before long, Clemson will snap off a couple of 50-yards on offense and special teams, building an insurmountable lead on the Cardinals. A late Wenning touchdown pass will be little more than window dressing on an otherwise one-sided affair.

CFN Prediction: Clemson 50 … Ball State 20
ATS Consultants Line (Click for more lines and picks) Clemson -27 O/U: 62.5
Must Watch Rating (5 – Phineas & Ferb, 1 – Steve Harvey): 1.5