Orange Bowl Odds 2012: Clemson Gets Early Nod Over West Virginia

The West Virginia Mountaineers won the Big East Championship this year, and they will face the ACC Champion Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl. The odds are likely the change drastically between now and the big game, but as it stands, the Tigers are an early favorite by just over a field goal, according to the fellas over at SB Nation.

Even though they lost three of their final five games, Clemson open as a 3 1/2 point favorite over WVU. Clemson likely would not have been favored against just about any other possible opponent, but WVU's two Big East losses give the Tigers the edge in the eyes of the oddsmakers.

Clemson almost certainly gets the nod for playing in the stronger conference. A win against Virginia Tech to close out the year, while West Virginia had their hands full with South Florida and sort of backed into this game, certainly doesn't hurt.

We'll have coverage of the Orange Bowl up to and through the big game in this StoryStream. For more on the two teams, check out Clemson Tigers blog Shakin The Southland and West Virginia Mountaineers blog The Smoking Musket.