Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney with quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) against the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

The No. 9 LSU Tigers and the No. 6 Clemson Tigers meet Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NCAA football odds around the LSU vs. Clemson odds and make our expert college football picks and predictions for the best bets.

LSU leads the all-time series 3-1, with the most recent meeting coming Jan. 13, 2020, as the Bayou Bengals claimed the College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans. These teams have met in the postseason all 4 times, so this is the first regular-season meeting.

The real Death Valley is up for debate this week, as both LSU and Clemson fans refer to their stadiums by that name. Can Clemson win this huge season opener, planting another grave marker outside the stadium, or will LSU claim the road victory?

LSU is 0-3 straight up in regular-season openers under Kelly. Last season, LSU lost to USC 27-20 in Las Vegas, failing as a 4-point favorite while the Under (66) cashed. The year before, LSU fell 45-24 to Florida State as a 1-point favorite, with the Over (56.5) hitting Sept. 3, 2023. In Kelly’s debut Sept. 4, 2022, LSU suffered a 24-23 setback to FSU when the Seminoles blocked an extra-point attempt in the final seconds.

LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier returns after completing 64.2% of his passes for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, while being sacked 16 times. WRs Aaron Anderson (61 receptions, 884 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Zavion Thomas (23-218-2), along with RB Caden Durham (140 carries, 753 yards, 6 touchdowns), also return.

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik completed 63.4% of his passes for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, while being sacked 23 times. A more versatile threat than Nussmeier, Klubnik also leads Clemson in rushing with 463 yards and 7 touchdowns, following the departure of Phil Mafah to the Dallas Cowboys. Klubnik returns top receivers Antonio Williams (75-904-11), Bryant Wesco Jr. (41-708-5), and T.J. Moore (45-651-5), giving Clemson a potentially explosive offense. The key question is its defense, which was merely average last season. How it handles Nussmeier will be telling.

– US LBM Coaches Poll - Conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports

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LSU at Clemson odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 4:27 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): LSU +150 (bet $100 to win $150) | Clemson -185 (bet $185 to win $100)
  • Against the spread (ATS): LSU +4 (-110) | Clemson -4 (-110)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 57.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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LSU at Clemson picks and predictions

Prediction

Clemson 31, LSU 27

Moneyline

If you're a little bit on the conservative side and don't want to fiddle around with the points, betting CLEMSON (-182) -- available at FanDuel Sportsbook -- is not a bad play. Klubnik and company are at home in the Upstate, but proceed with caution, as the jury is still out on Clemson's defense.

Against the spread

CLEMSON -4 (-110) is worth a look laying the points, but go with a half-unit play at most. This should be a close game.

However, the reason to go against LSU is that when something can go wrong in an opener, it always seems to go wrong. It's almost laughable for LSU fans at this point, and the seat is going to heat up significantly for Kelly if he can't start winning these marquee early-season matchups.

Over/Under

The OVER 57.5 (-110) is the lean, but only go with a half-unit play at most.

The offenses are powerful on both sides, and we have a couple of the best quarterbacks in the nation going head-to-head.

Clemson cashed the Over in just 2 of the final 9 games of the regular season, but it cashed the Over twice in the postseason, topping SMU in the ACC title game in a high-scoring affair, and losing 38-24 to Texas in the CFP First Round as the Over (49.5) easily hit.

LSU hit high in its bowl game, and it averaged 40.5 points per game in the final 2 games last season after hitting the Under 7 times in an 8-game span from Sept. 21 to Nov. 23.

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This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: LSU Tigers at Clemson Tigers odds, picks and predictions

Reporting by Daniel Dobish, Sportsbook Wire / Sportsbook Wire

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