Orange Bowl Betting 2022 Prediction, Odds, Preview

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Clemson Tigers 31-14 in the 2022 Orange Bowl.

Check out last year's coverage here below and tune back in with us soon for the 2023 Orange Bowl Odds, Picks and Predictions.

The first New Year’s Six game of this bowl season features the Tennessee Volunteers taking on the Clemson Tigers. This is the first time that Tennessee has made a NY6 game, as this program has largely been moribund for the past two decades. The Tigers have been one of the three or four best programs in the country for the last decade, but this is a relatively new corps that has something to prove.

The Capital One Orange Bowl will be played on Friday, December 30, 2022, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Clemson Tigers Betting Prediction

Josh Heupel was not Tennessee’s first choice to take over for Jeremy Pruitt after Pruitt was dismissed following the 2020 campaign. However, new athletic director Danny White made the decision to bring over his former head coach at UCF. Heupel struck gold when he brought in Hendon Hooker as a transfer from Virginia Tech, leading to the Volunteers posting their best record in nearly two decades.

Unfortunately, Hooker suffered a season-ending injury against South Carolina in the penultimate game of the regular season. This offense isn’t the same without Hooker and his two game-breaking receivers, and that will allow Clemson to pick up the win.

Score Prediction: Clemson 37, Tennessee 23
Best Bet: Clemson -5.5

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Tennessee Volunteers vs. Clemson Tigers Betting Odds

Orange Bowl Betting Resources

• Date: Friday, December 30, 2022
• TV-Time: ESPN, 8:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Hard Rock Stadium
• Location: Miami Gardens, Florida
• Expert Picks

Tennessee Volunteers Betting Analysis

With Hendon Hooker out, the Tennessee Volunteers will be forced to start Joe Milton under center. Milton transferred in from Michigan last year and was originally the starting quarterback ahead of Hooker. However, the same inconsistency that plagued him in Ann Arbor eventually led to Milton being benched. He has thrived in limited action this year though, completing 34 of 54 passes for 720 yards and seven touchdowns.

Milton will not have the benefit of throwing to Tennessee’s top two receivers though. Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman both made the decision to opt out of this game in order to focus on the NFL Draft. The Volunteers still have players like Bru McCoy, Ramel Keyton, and Squirrel White, but they aren’t as talented as Hyatt and Tillman. Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small will split carries at running back, and they could play more of a role in this game. Left tackle Darnell Wright will enter the NFL Draft in a few months, but he has decided to play in this bowl game.

The Volunteers were excellent against the run in 2022. They allowed just 3.3 YPC, so opponents took to the air almost 40 times a game in order to try to keep up with this high-octane offense. Linebacker Jeremy Banks opted out of this game in order to start his NFL career, but defensive end Byron Young will close out his collegiate career in the Orange Bowl before heading to the next level. That’s great news for the Vols as Young was a First Team All-SEC selection this season.

Clemson Tigers Betting Analysis

After two underwhelming years under center, Clemson and D.J. Uiagalelei have officially parted ways. Uiagalelei did show improvement from last season to this season, greatly improving his touchdown to interception ratio, but the school and the player were both ready to move on from one another. The Cade Klubnik era is now officially underway, and Clemson hopes he can be more like Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence and less like Tahj Boyd or Kelly Bryant.

Klubnik completed 31 of 46 passes for 377 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in limited action this season. He is a quality dual threat that averaged 4.0 YPC, so look for a good mix of RPO in the play calling on Friday night. No. 3 receiver Beaux Collins is injured and will miss the Orange Bowl, but top two receivers Antonio Williams and Joseph Ngata will be available. Perhaps more importantly, the entire offensive line and Will Shipley Jr. is ready to go, giving Klubnik a lot of help in his first start.

Clemson ranked 23rd in Defensive SP+ at the end of the regular season. The Tigers won’t have defensive end Myles Murphy and linebacker Trenton Simpson available for this game after both players decided to opt out in order to prepare for the NFL Draft. However, the good news for Dabo Swinney and company is that it sounds like every other major contributor will suit up, including Bryan Bresee. 

Orange Bowl History

The Orange Bowl debuted in 1935 and the matchup currently features schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Big Ten Conference. The game takes place at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida as the previous venue for this contest was the Orange Bowl in Miami from 1938-1999. This game was named the FedEx Orange Bowl and the Discover Orange Bowl prior to Capital One acquiring sponsorship rights in 2014. 

The underdog had won each of the past four matchups, until Wisconsin snapped the streak by covering 34-24 against Miami, Fl. in the 2017 installment. Clemson has appeared in three of the last six Orange Bowl games, while Nebraska has made the most appearances in this game with 17 (8-9 record). 

In the 2018 installment, a College Football Playoff semifinal, Alabama fired out to a 28-0 lead, setting an Orange Bowl record with 21 first-quarter points. However, the Sooners hung around and were able to find the end zone late for a backdoor cover, helping underdogs to a 5-1 ATS mark across the past six Orange Bowls. The Sooners also made a stop inside the red zone in the final minute, as a majority of bettors hung on for the 'under' result.

The SEC has dominated the Orange Bowl lately, with Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M grabbing victories from 2018-21. In the College Football Playoff semifinal, Georgia routed Michigan by a 34-11 score to advance to the national title game.

In 2021, two Orange Bowls were played at the start and end of the year to make up for the lost season to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

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