First look: Top storylines, betting odds for Clemson vs. Kentucky Gator Bowl

It’s officially bowl week for Clemson football.

After finishing 8-4 and No. 22 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, the Tigers are set to play Kentucky on Friday in the Gator Bowl.

Clemson arrived in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sunday and will conduct its third practice Wednesday heading into its 10th ever Gator Bowl appearance, the most of any bowl in program history.

It’s the Tigers’ first time playing in the Jacksonville-based game since the end of the 2008 season, which was coach Dabo Swinney’s first game since being hired as the team’s full-time coach after a seven-game interim stint.

Here’s your first look at the game.

2023 Gator Bowl game, TV info

Who: No. 22 Clemson (8-4, 4-4 ACC) vs. Kentucky (7-5, 3-5 SEC))

When: noon Friday

Where: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

TV: ESPN

Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app

Vegas odds: Clemson Kentucky point spread

Clemson opened as a seven-point betting favorite against Kentucky, according to the VegasInsider.com consensus line. That line has dropped down to Clemson -5.5 as of Wednesday, the team’s closest spread since Nov. 4 vs. Notre Dame (Clemson -3.5).

Bettors, though, don’t have much faith in the Tigers. Kentucky has 69% of the bets against the spread and 76% of the money line bets, or straight-up win-loss bets, as of Tuesday. Clemson and Kentucky are both 6-6 against the spread this year.

Clemson vs. Kentucky last meeting, trends

The 2023 Gator Bowl will be the 14th all-time meeting between the schools, with Kentucky leading 8-5. Each of the last three games have come in postseason play.

The teams most recently met in the 2009 Music City Bowl, a game Clemson won 21-13. The teams have also recently played in 2006 (Music City Bowl) and 1993 (Peach Bowl). Clemson would move to 3-1 against Kentucky in bowl games with a win.

Clemson could also move to 14-6 against SEC teams since 2015 with a win. The Tigers are already facing multiple SEC opponents in a season for the 17th time in the last 18 years, a streak helped by their annual rivalry game with South Carolina.

Bowl game opt-outs

Clemson’s fearsome defense, which ranked fifth nationally in passing yards allowed per game and seventh in total defense, will be a little short-handed.

Following the regular season, three starters – linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., cornerback Nate Wiggins and defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro – all announced they were opting out of the Gator Bowl. They join former Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy, who opted out of last year’s Orange Bowl.

Before that, Swinney said, he hadn’t had a player opt out of a bowl game in his Clemson tenure. Opting out of bowl games has become a popular practice for top draft picks in non-CFP games, though, as a way to get a head start on draft prep and avoid injury.

Clemson also had nine players enter the transfer portal this month, further hurting depth: WR Beaux Collins (Notre Dame), TE Sage Ennis (Florida A&M), QB Hunter Helms, S Jaden Kinard (walk-on), OL Mitchell Mayes (Charlotte), S Andrew Mukuba (Texas), DE David Ojiegbe (Pitt), CB Toriano Pride Jr. (Missouri) and RB Domonique Thomas (Georgia State).

Recruits at practice

They can’t play in place of those aforementioned players, but some of Clemson’s 2024 signees are getting a special Gator Bowl experience.

Five-star linebacker Sammy Brown, four-star safety Ricardo Jones and four-star running back David Eziomume are among the incoming freshmen practicing with the team this week.

Clemson had a handful of players practice with the team before the Orange Bowl last year after an NCAA rule change allowing early enrollees to participate before formally joining the team in January. This year, eight scholarship players are taking advantage of the rule.

“We’ll get started right away,” Swinney said last week. “You can start teaching individually, start learning and start getting to know people.”

Also participating in bowl practices: four-star cornerback Corian Gipson, four-star cornerback Tavoy Feagin, three-star defensive tackle Champ Thompson, three-star kicker Nolan Hauser, three-star safety Joe Wilkinson and preferred walk-on receiver Chase Byrd.

Clemson vs. Kentucky players to watch

• Clemson WR Adam Randall: With Collins transferring to Notre Dame, can the big-bodied Randall (17 catches for 204 yards) end his sophomore season on a high note after falling out of the rotation earlier this season?

• Clemson LB Kobe McCloud: It’s also next man up at linebacker, where Trotter has opted out to prepare for the NFL draft. McCloud, a co-starter in his place, has 13 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss this year.

• Kentucky QB Devin Leary: An NC State transfer who beat Clemson in 2021, Leary finished second in the SEC this season with 23 touchdown passes. He’s a fifth-year veteran and proven talent with 38 career starts.

• Kentucky RB Ray Davis: Davis, a senior, led the SEC in total touchdowns (20) this season while running for 1,066 yards. After declaring for the NFL Draft, he was expected to opt out of the bowl but said Dec. 8 he would indeed be playing.