This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
Tennessee 
vs. Clemson 
Orange Bowl Betting Preview
Both of these teams will be playing with some less-than-familiar faces under center in the Orange Bowl. Due to a season-ending ACL injury to starting quarterback Hendon Hooker in the second to last game of the regular season, Tennessee will be starting fifth-year senior Joe Milton III who transferred from Michigan a year ago. For Clemson, its starting quarterback for the majority of the year DJ Uiagalelei saw the writing on the wall that he would likely be out of a job next season and hit the transfer portal. The incumbent for Clemson is freshman five-star quarterback Cade Klubnik. He took over in the ACC championship game and completed 20-of-24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown while also running for 30 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
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Tennessee vs Clemson Betting Odds for Orange Bowl
Spread: Clemson -5.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: 63.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Clemson -215; Tennessee +175 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
This line opened at Clemson -4.5 on FanDuel and early action drove it as high as Clemson -7 two weeks ago. Since then, things have evened out as the line has settled down at Clemson -5.5 on FanDuel and most other major books. Meanwhile, the total has seen very little movement as it has hovered around 63.5 for most of the time it has been open to the public.
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Tennessee vs Clemson Betting Picks for Orange Bowl
Along with the quarterback changes, both these teams will be dealing with some key opt-outs. Tennessee will be without star receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, while Clemson will be without defensive end Myles Murphy and linebacker Trenton Simpson as the four players begin prep for the NFL Draft. The loss of Hyatt and Tillman will be huge for the Vols as on of the two players has been the leading receiver in nine of the Vols twelve games on the season. However, they will not be bereft of talent on the outside as Bru McCoy remains; McCoy was the second leading receiver for Tennessee this year with 48 receptions for 617 yards and three touchdowns.
Clemson has not seen too many tough matchups across the secondary, but when they did they struggled. Against a talented Wake Forest group, they gave up 337 yards through the air including six catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns to Jahmal Banks. The next time they faced a truly difficult matchup wasn't until the ACC Championship game against North Carolina. In that game, the Tigers were tasked with trying to contain high-end prospect Josh Downs. Downs lit up the Tigers for 89 yards on 9 catches before sustaining an ankle injury at the end of the first half that would serious limit his effectiveness finishing the game with 11 catches for 100 yards. The Tigers also had some issues with South Carolina's pass-happy offense as leading receiver Antwane Wells Jr. went off for 131 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches. With the loss of key wide receivers for the Vols it will make life much easier for the Tigers secondary, and while McCoy is very talented the losses of Hyatt and Tillman may be too much to overcome with a backup quarterback at the helm.
Orange Bowl Best Bet: Clemson -5.5 and UNDER 63.5
Clemson vs Tennessee Predictions for Orange Bowl
I think this Clemson offense may run better in the hands of Klubnik than it did under Uiagalelei. While Uiagalelei did make some strides from last year to this year, he still struggled with his efficiency at times, most glaringly against South Carolina where he went 8-of-29 for for 99 yards with a touchdown and an interception, then a game later in the ACC Championship game was quickly benched after opening up the game going 2-of-5 for 10 yards. With the added efficiency from Klubnik under center to go along with the great play of Will Shipley, who has rushed for 1,110 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year, the Clemson offense will likely have no issues moving the ball against a Tennessee defense that ranks 126th against the pass and 85th in total defense.
On the other side of the ball, I think Clemson will be able to stand strong, as I stated earlier I believe the losses of Hyatt and Tillman will make things easier for a Clemson secondary that has shown some vulnerability. This will also help out the Clemson run defense that already ranks 11th in the nation stop the Vols nation-leading offensive unit that boasts the 18th strongest rushing attack.
In the end, I think the Clemson offense will be able to move the ball well against the Vols and likely try to chew clock with the rushing abilities of Shipley and Klubnik. The Clemson defense should be able to hold up well against a slightly depleted Tennessee offense, I like Clemson and the under in this one.
