Joel Klatt on the ACC: “Clemson runs the conference”

Joel Klatt isn’t buying all the hype around Florida State and believes Clemson still runs the ACC.

The ACC in 2023 will be one of the most exciting conferences in college football as Clemson and Florida State are expected to battle for the conference and compete for a college football playoff appearance. 

Throughout this offseason, the Seminoles have arguably been the most hyped team in all of college football. It has been one of the top discussion points heading into the season, and that hype train has not slowed down. However, not everyone believes the ACC will be run by FSU.

Joel Klatt, FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst, recently discussed the ACC and the hype around the Seminoles.

“Am I buying the Florida State hype? That’s the question, because there’s a lot of hype out there about Florida State,” Klatt said. “And listen, I get it, and they’re likely going to win a lot of games this season. They’ve got a talented roster, they did really well in the transfer portal, they’ve recruited well and in an ACC that isn’t particularly strong top to bottom, are they ready? Yeah, they’re ready.

“The problem is that you’ve got to be ready to beat Clemson. Because Clemson runs the conference. Have they done enough to overtake Clemson? I’m not sure. They didn’t last year when they had them at home. Why should we be so quick to just say like, ‘Hey, Florida State, I love Florida State.”

Strong points from Klatt; people haven’t acknowledged Florida State’s possible issues the way Klatt has. People are just looking at things on paper one way but not the other.

Sure, Florida State got better but didn’t Clemson? The Tigers are a stronger team in 2023 and have the Seminoles at home this season.

“I can like them (FSU). They’re in my top 10,” Klatt said. “But I can accurately say they aren’t to the level of even two of their first four opponents, one of them being a conference opponent in Clemson, that game at Clemson. Last year, Clemson had what they consider to be a bad year. They still won 11 games, including going 9-0 in the ACC. 9-0. They beat Florida State on the road in Tallahassee, won the ACC, and Florida State had a great year, won 10 games and still lost three in the conference when the season was still in suspense, if you will.”

“I think the Seminoles are going to be a really good team. I’ve got them in the top 10, so is not about me ‘hating on Florida State,’” Klatt said. “This is me accurately looking at the LSU matchup, which does not favor Florida State, and the Clemson matchup, which does not favor Florida State, and I can accurately say Florida State is going to be 2-2 in their first four games. Now they may go on to win 10 games, but it’s not going to be a team that really competes for an ACC title. …

Clemson’s roster is still better than that roster at Florida State, in particular when you look at the blue-chip ratio. Clemson’s still got the nod.”

Klatt was the first person to break things down this way; it was a breath of fresh air. Check out his full talk on the topic below.

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