CLEMSON, S.C. — Refreshed, rested and ready for more success is the mindset for both No. 3 Clemson and 16th-ranked North Carolina State with both coming off bye weeks heading into their undefeated showdown in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers (6-0, 3-0 ACC) will host the Wolfpack (5-0, 2-0) in clash between the league's only remaining undefeated teams. Each took time this past week to correct mistakes and prepare for a game that will likely determine the ACC Atlantic Division. Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables believes the Tigers will be ready for the challenge. "I think the bigger the stakes, the better our guys play," he said Monday. Same could be said about North Carolina State, which has nearly knocked off three-time defending ACC champion Clemson in down to the wire matchups the past two seasons. The Wolfpack had a chance to derail Clemson's national championship season in 2016, but missed a field goal in the final seconds and lost 24-17 in overtime. Last year, Clemson trailed most of the game before escaping 38-31 when safety K'von Wallace intercepted Ryan Finley after the Wolfpack drove to the Tigers 28 on their final drive. "Our guys have rose to the challenge. They haven't finished," Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said Monday. Doeren said the teams arrive dead even since each had similar chances to ramp up preparations during the week off. Clemson receiver Amari Rodgers said players were eager for the break after going nonstop since the beginning of August. MORE: The remaining undefeated college football teams | AP poll reaction after crazy Week 7 "We needed a weekend to unplug," he said. "But now we're ready to get back to it." Doeren believed his Wolfpack players worked hard during the break. Tigers co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said the team went through some self-evaluation to refine and refocus fundamentals that may have gotten out of whack in the week-to-week run of football. One of the biggest concerns, Elliott said, was his team's slow starts to games. The Tigers have scored 253 points this season, just 38 of those coming in the first quarter. "I wish I knew the answer to that one," said Elliott, the team's chief play-caller. Elliott cited tailback Travis Etienne, who leads the ACC with 761 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing, dropping first-down passes early against Georgia Tech and Wake Forest — games won by Clemson by a combined 112-24 score — as setting the team back into unexpected second-and-long situations. "We're going to keep working on it, challenging these guys to understand the importance of every single play," Elliott said. Venables likes his defense's focus, its play set by an experienced, NFL-caliber front four of ends Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant and tackles Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence. "I think there's a bunch of guys who really, truly enjoy each other," Venables said when asked what made this defense unique. "This is one of the funner units to be around." Venables acknowledged that Clemson's secondary, while improving, remains a work in progress and should face a difficult test with experienced Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley, who leads the ACC with more than 324 yards passing per game. "Mentally, we're still not a finished product, defensively," Venables said. Both the Tigers and the Wolfpack got a rankings' boost while kicking back. Clemson moved up a spot to No. 3 while North Carolina State improved four spots in the latest poll. Clemson left guard John Simpson watched several upsets — four Top 10 teams lost last weekend — and thought, "I'm glad we didn't play Saturday." The Tigers are wary of the Wolfpack and will hear plenty more about that leading up to Saturday. Said Clemson receiver Rodgers: "Coaches are emphasizing this week that NC State always gives us problems." This article was written by Pete Iacobelli from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.<doc-sep>NC State leads FBS in third down conversion rate at 60.9% this season, and also leads the country in conversion rate in 3rd-and-long situations (54.3%). The success here is directly related to the quality of the Wolfpack’s pass protection and the elite talent spearheading the passing attack. And you’d think that a team this efficient on third downs would generally be a safe bet to score touchdowns at a high rate when in the red zone. Alas, no. The Boston College game was the perfect example of these traits working in stark contrast—State was 10-15 on third down but also scored on only three of its six trips to the red zone. The Pack ranks 76th in points per trip inside the opponent 40 yard line, which is rather disappointing. For one week, at least, they’ll have to reverse the negative trends that have plagued them in scoring territory, or an upset over Clemson will be out of the question. This week, the scores have got to be touchdowns rather than field goals, and NC State cannot cough up the ball in the red zone. There’s no margin for error. Efficiently handling its opportunities in plus territory is also essential for the obvious reason that NC State isn’t likely to have a lot of them. Clemson’s defense ranks fifth in S&P+ and the Tigers are allowing only 14.5 points per game. On the occasions where you do have that group at a disadvantage, you had best deliver.<doc-sep>Bob Levey/Getty Images Clemson owns a six-game winning streak in the rivalry with North Carolina State, but it's been the Wolfpack making the cash, going 6-2 against the spread over the last eight meetings, keeping games close as underdogs. North Carolina State is a considerable underdog again for the latest edition of the Textile Bowl on Saturday afternoon at Death Valley. College football point spread: The Tigers opened as 17-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report) College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 44.0-25.4 Tigers (College football picks on every game) Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or Spotify or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news. Why the NC State Wolfpack can cover the spread The Wolfpack reached 5-0 for the season and 2-0 in ACC play with a 28-23 victory over Boston College two weeks ago. They then enjoyed last week off. Videos you might like North Carolina State drove its opening possession of the game 70 yards to a touchdown, led 21-3 by halftime and scored the first seven points of the second half to take control. Unfortunately for their financial backers, the Wolfpack allowed the Eagles to score the last 20 points of the game, the last seven on a blocked punt with just under four minutes to go and blew the cover as six-point favorites. On the day, North Carolina State out-gained Boston College 533-318, and most of the yardage the Wolfpack defense gave up came while protecting that big lead. North Carolina State also out-rushed the Eagles 225-120, held a huge 34-12 advantage in first downs and dominated time of possession by a 42/18 tilt. But four turnovers, a blocked field goal and that blocked punt basically cost the Wolfpack 26 points and the money. North Carolina State has now out-gained each of its five opponents this season, and out-rushed its last four foes. Why the Clemson Tigers can cover the spread The Tigers reached 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in ACC play with a 63-3 romp over Wake Forest two weeks ago. They then also had last week off. Clemson broke the ice against the Demon Deacons with a touchdown nine minutes in, led 28-0 at the half and just kept going, on its way toward the easy cover as 20-point favorites. For the day the Tigers out-gained Wake Forest 698-249, racked up 471 yards rushing and scored six touchdowns of 50 yards or more. Meanwhile, the defense held the Deacons out of the end zone all day. Clemson has now out-gained its first three ACC opponents by almost 300 yards per game and out-rushed them by 210 yards per game. Smart betting pick As mentioned above the Tigers have beaten the Wolfpack six times in a row, but the last two meetings were both decided by just seven points, one of them in overtime. Last year Clemson won 38-31 but North Carolina State covered as a 10-point dog. And this game could play out very much the same. The Tigers should still win but smart money takes the points. College football betting trends North Carolina State is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games vs Clemson. Clemson is 11-0 SU in its last 11 games at home. The total has gone under in Clemson's last five games at home vs teams with winning records. All college football odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.<doc-sep>Clemson football will take on the NC State Wolfpack Saturday. Here are five storylines to watch heading into the ACC Atlantic Division match up. The Clemson football team comes into a match up with the NC State Wolfpack undefeated and looking to take control of the ACC Atlantic Division. The Tigers and the Wolfpack will battle it out on the field at 3:30 p.m. in front of a sold out crowd. It should be a fun game, even if Clemson is a 16.5-point favorite. Here are five storylines to watch heading into Saturday’s match up.<doc-sep>
CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 29: Running back Tavien Feaster #28 of the Clemson Tigers pushes for yards after contact against the Syracuse Orange during the football game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) Clemson Football: Path to the CFB Playoff heading into Week 8 by Shawn Spencer The Clemson football team will host the NC State Wolfpack Saturday afternoon. Here are the early Vegas odds on the ACC Atlantic Division match up. After a much-needed bye week, Clemson football will host the NC State Wolfpack Saturday afternoon in Death Valley. The game, which will be a battle of unbeatens, may very well decide the ACC Atlantic Division. The Tigers will come into the match up ranked No. 3 in the nation while the Wolfpack come in No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 15 in the Coaches’ Poll. Here are the early Vegas odds for the match up Saturday afternoon. Clemson Football Vegas Odds: Opening Spread: Clemson -17 Early Thoughts: 17 points seems like a lot coming into this one. It may give us a little perspective into why ESPN College GameDay decided not to come to Clemson. I guess people around the nation just think this game is going to be a blowout. Honestly, I think that’s a little disrespectful to NC State. NC State has looked very good so far and, while I don’t think they’re a top-10 team, I do believe that a team with their type of quarterback talent (Ryan Finley) and wide receiver corps has the ability to put up some points against Clemson. Now, that’s not to say that I’m taking the Wolfpack plus the 17. At this point, I’m really not sure what side of the fence I fall on with this spread. I could see a scenario where this game is extremely close throughout. I could also see a scenario where the Tigers come out and take control of the game early and beat the spread. It’s going to be interesting and I’m really looking forward to this match up Saturday. Make sure you check back here on Rubbing the Rock for complete coverage of Clemson football heading into the game against the Wolfpack.