This week, a national analyst unveiled his preseason top 25 rankings for the 2023 college football campaign.
On The Joel Klatt Show, the lead FOX Sports college football analyst gave his top 25 teams heading into the season.
Klatt has Clemson at No. 9, right behind Southern Cal at No. 8 and just in front of ACC foe Florida State, which came in at No. 10 in Klatt’s top 25.
Klatt explained why he’s high on the Tigers and has them ranked where he does.
“Here’s the reasons why I love Clemson — Clemson has a quarterback that I believed in a year ago and probably should’ve started more games, let’s face it,” Klatt said. “DJ Uiagalelei was struggling and it should’ve been Cade Klubnik that came in, and I understand that he struggled in that bowl game against Tennessee. But let’s be honest, bowl games that aren’t in the CFP, there’s not a lot of credence to me in those games. They’re so far removed from what bowl games used to be, it’s hard for me to evaluate what went on in the Orange Bowl.
“Having said that, you get Klubnik. He’s got his best offensive player in (Will) Shipley back. They should be pretty good on the offensive line, and then the most important piece – and this is the one that I think has flown under the radar – Garrett Riley is their new offensive coordinator. We know what Garrett Riley just did at TCU with Max Duggan and Kendre Miller and Quentin Johnston. They are going to be better on offense and this is what they have desperately needed over the course of the last few seasons.”
Klatt added that he’s “in on Clemson” this year.
“They should be better on defense,” Klatt said. “They won the ACC a year ago. They’ve got their best games or toughest games at home, a place that they rarely if ever lose over the course of the last five and six years. I’m in. Like, I’m in on Clemson.”
Following is Klatt’s full top 25, which includes three teams that Clemson is set to face this season (Florida State, No. 10; Notre Dame, No. 18; North Carolina, No. 21):
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Penn State
- Washington
- LSU
- Southern Cal
- Clemson
- Florida State
- Utah
- Tennessee
- Oregon
- Texas
- Oregon State
- Oklahoma
- Kansas State
- Notre Dame
- TCU
- Ole Miss
- North Carolina
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Texas Tech
- UCLA
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