Tennessee Vols fans won't like The Athletic's score prediction for Orange Bowl matchup against Clemson
The Tennessee Vols are set to take on the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl on Friday night in Miami. Tennessee's matchup against Clemson will kick off at 8:10 PM ET. You can find the game on ESPN. The Athletic's Stewart Mandel gave his score prediction for the Orange Bowl on Friday morning and Vols […]
The Tennessee Vols are set to take on the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl on Friday night in Miami.
Tennessee's matchup against Clemson will kick off at 8:10 PM ET. You can find the game on ESPN.
The Athletic's Stewart Mandel gave his score prediction for the Orange Bowl on Friday morning and Vols fans aren't going to like it.
Not only does Mandel have the Tigers beating Tennessee, but he has Clemson winning by double digits.
Mandel predicted the Vols to lose 41-28.
It sure would have been great to watch Hendon Hooker (injury) and Jalin Hyatt (opt-out) suit up for the Vols in this one. Josh Heupel’s offense should still make a few explosive plays, but this feels like a night when Clemsonquarterback Cade Klubnik asserts himself heading into 2023 by exploiting Tenessee’s woeful defense.
I can't blame Mandel for picking Clemson — this is a toss-up game and I think you have to give the edge to the team that's been in these types of games before.
But there's nothing I see that suggests Clemson is going to win by 13 points. The Tigers are starting an inexperienced quarterback who's had one good game. While Cade Klubnik is a talented quarterback, he still has a lot to prove. It feels like the national media is giving him the benefit of the doubt while questioning Joe Milton's ability to lead the Vols to a win.
Milton, by the way, is one of the most talented players in the nation. His problem has just been consistency. If he can show that his consistency has improved since the start of last season, the Vols could put a lot of points on the board against a good Clemson defense.
We'll see how it plays out, but my gut says Mandel's score prediction won't be accurate.
Featured image via Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
