ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Paul Finebaum have gone on record with their predictions for the highly anticipated Week 1 showdown between Clemson and LSU.
Dinich said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up show that “Clemson will beat LSU in the season opener,” adding that the ACC’s Tigers will “be a serious contender for the national title” in 2025.
“I say that because Clemson is loaded,” said Dinich, ESPN’s lead College Football Playoff insider.
“They return 80 percent of their production from last year – more than any team in the FBS. Cade Klubnik will be better. He’s got another season under his belt with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. He’s coming off one of the best seasons in school history, and has his top three receivers returning.”
ESPN analyst Ryan Clark – a 13-year NFL safety and Super Bowl champion who graduated from LSU and was an All-SEC second team selection in 2000 – had something to say in response to those comments from Dinich.
“I respect Heather so much, and she’s just going to come on and take shots out of the gate,” Clark said. “We’ve [LSU] got the fastest wide receiving corps in the history of football, Heather! G. [Garrett] Nussmeier is going to be the best quarterback in football! Are you serious?!”
Dinich quickly fired back.
“He might be, but he’s going to be going up against one of the best defensive lines in the country,” she said.
“We’re on. I’ll take that bet, my friend,” Dinich added.
Dinich said recently that she believes Clemson is the most underrated team in ESPN’s preseason Football Power Index (FPI).
“The Clemson Tigers, to me, should be a top-five team, and ESPN’s FPI has them at No. 11,” Dinich said. “I don’t know how they’re outside the top 10. For me, the preseason rankings should be based on what you know you have coming back – not what you think you might have through the transfer portal or a hyped-up quarterback who’s never started a game before. And Clemson has Cade Klubnik back at quarterback. …
“Klubnik has got a lot of talented wide receivers to throw to. Clemson has one of the best defensive lines in the country. These Tigers should be a top-10 team, without a doubt, this preseason.”
Finebaum also gave his Clemson-LSU prediction, agreeing with Dinich that Dabo Swinney’s team has what it takes to beat Brian Kelly’s Bayou Bengals in their Week 1 matchup at Clemson’s Death Valley.
“I hate to be obvious here about home field, but that’s about as difficult a home field advantage as there is in college football,” Finebaum said on Get Up. “I think LSU is really good. I’m high on [LSU head coach] Brian Kelly. … I think they’ll be there at the end. I think they’re going to get to the playoffs this year. But I don’t, right now, believe they can do it Week 1.”
The marquee Clemson-LSU matchup is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 and will be televised on ABC.