The running theme of this bowl season: ineligibility. Three starting members of the Clemson Tigers will miss the former Peach Bowl: LBs Nick Watkins and Tramaine Billie, and OT Christian Capote. They may yet be joined by LB Cortney Vincent after his arrest on drunken driving charges.

Those absences make this matchup a lot more intriguing. Otherwise, Clemson should win in a walk after going 9-3 (6-5 ATS) on the season, beating Florida State in the season opener and watching QB Cullen Harper bloom in his first full year under center. Both teams have outstanding defenses, but Auburn’s offense is shaky and might not be able to capitalize on Clemson’s sudden weakness at linebacker.

Watch for the Clemson tailback duo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller to find enough holes in Auburn’s excellent defense to control the clock, while Auburn QB Brandon Cox makes one mistake too many in a tight contest.