Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin learned the hard way on Saturday about how being a bad sport can rub people the wrong way.
Kiffin has been complaining on social media this weekend about how the College Football Playoff first-round blowouts were proof his team should have gotten in over the ones who did and struggled.
Well, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt wasn’t having any of Kiffin’s snarky posts.
“Way to keep us on the edge of our seats Committee …. Riveting” was the sarcastic quip Kiffin shared for Saturday’s lopsided SMU-Penn State game, and Klatt fired back with a devastating retort.
“If your team played half as well as you tweet you would likely be in,” Klatt sent back to Kiffin in a post of his own.
Yowza. If you are Kiffin, you might want to log off a bit after Klatt completely shut him down for being such a jerk.
If your team played half as well as you tweet you would likely be in https://t.co/tgpIFpxo8I
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt shared his thoughts on Clemson’s matchup against Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff, predicting a victory for the Longhorns but not by a wide margin.
Klatt foresees a 27-17 win for Texas, believing the Longhorns’ defense will be the deciding factor. However, he expects Clemson to keep it close enough to cover the 12-point spread.
“I like Texas to win this game. Texas, I think, is going to get close to 30 points. I think they score 27. Clemson does not score 20 points. I think they score 17,” Klatt said. “Thus, I actually think covering the (12 points) is the way I’m going to go with Clemson. I think I’m going to take the points with Clemson, just because of this offense and the lack of production from Texas down the back half of the year.”
While he praised Texas’ defense, Klatt noted that their offensive production has dipped late in the season. Despite that, he is confident in the Longhorns’ ability to advance. “27-17, Texas wins this game, and I’m taking the points for Clemson,” Klatt concluded.
Kickoff between Clemson and Texas is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Joel Klatt’s prediction is in for the Texas-Clemson college football playoff game. Who does the Fox Sports lead analyst think will win?
The Texas Longhorns begin a hopeful college football playoff run Saturday at DKR against the Clemson Tigers. Texas is an 11.5 point favorite in the game, the largest spread of any of the first round games.
“The most underrated unit, maybe in America, I think you can make an argument is the Texas defense. The Texas defense right now is No. 1 in the country in yards per play defense and No. 2 in scoring defense. … Can Clemson score over 20 points? … I believe the answer is ‘No.’ So if you start with that premise, you immediately have to go to the Texas offense and you have to wonder to yourself, ‘What’s Texas’ offense going to do in this game?”
— Joel Klatt
It is the Texas offense that gives Klatt the most pause. Texas’ offense has struggle mightily at times since Ewers returned from his early season oblique injury. Some of that is due to Ewers lack of mobility in the later half of the season. The Southlake product also suffered an ankle injury in the Kentucky game, which limited him against Texas A&M and Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
“Ewers is not playing very well. The back half of the year, I have felt on a number of occasions that Texas’ offense would be better with Arch Manning. I know that’s hyperbolic. I candidly hate saying that. But I think it’s the case. And it’s the case because when Ewers doesn’t have mobility … he can’t scamper for first downs. And when you can’t move the chains with your legs as a quarterback, even just a couple of times, then the premium on your ability to be a great passer goes way up. You’ve got to throw guys open. You’ve got to be dynamic as a passer.”
— Joel Klatt
The big question for Klatt is whether or not Texas can get to 20 points. Even with Ewers struggles, he thinks they can.
“What do we see from Sark, generally speaking, after a long lay off? Great game plans. And so I fully expect him to have something cooked up for this Clemson defense that is going to allow Quinn Ewers to succeed. So do I think Texas can get to 20 points? Yes.”
— Joel Klatt
But if Ewers struggles, Klatt thinks Sark should turn to Manning quickly.
“I do think Ewers is going to have a short leash. I think of Tua with Jalen Hurts. I think this is it! You’ve got to win this game to move on. There’s no other game after this.”
— Joel Klatt
So, who does the Fox man think will win the game?
“I like Texas to win this game. Texas is going to get close to 30 points. I think they score 27. Clemson does not score 20 points. I think they score 17. … The Texas defense is going to win this game for them. 27-17. Texas wins this game. And I’m taking the points for Clemson.”
— Joel Klatt
Texas hosts Clemson at DKR Saturday afternoon at 3pm CT on TNT.
Here’s what Joel Klatt said about Clemson’s showdown with Texas, including his final score prediction for the game.
The Clemson Tigers are back in the College Football Playoff for the first time in four years, but they’ll be facing a tough opponent in the first round in the fourth-ranked Texas Longhorns.
Clemson (10-3 overall) reached the playoffs by defeating SMU, 34-31, in an instant classic in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 7, giving Dabo Swinney his seventh CFP appearance as Tigers coach.
Texas (11-2) was already a lock for the playoffs after reaching the SEC title game. The Longhorns fell to the Georgia Bulldogs, 22-19, in overtime.
On Wednesday, Fox Sports college football analyst and broadcaster Joel Klatt gave his thoughts on Clemson vs. Texas heading into weekend. Klatt predicted that the Longhorns’ defense would be too much for Cade Klubnik and the Tigers to overcome:
“Klubnik and this Clemson offense is going to go up against one of the better secondaries in the country. This is why I just don’t believe Clemson is going to, all the sudden, turn on this offensive firepower that we haven’t really seen all year, in particular in games against quality defenses.”
While Clemson has shown such firepower in games against NC State and other ACC teams, Klatt pointed to the Tigers’ Week 1 blowout loss to Georgia when they were held to three points in a 34-3 defeat. He also noted that the Tigers had scored 14 points in the loss to rival South Carolina to close the regular season.
Klatt added:
“Texas has the No. 1 pass defense in America. They’ve done that with a Thorpe Award winner, Jahdae Barron. They’ve got an All-American safety in Michael Taaffe. By the way, he was Klubnik’s high school teammate. They’ve got a former teammate from Clemson in the other safety, Andrew Mukuba. He played with Klubnik at Clemson last year and transferred over to Texas so here he is facing his former team.
“This is a defense that probably plays pretty well in this game. They’re at home, they have the benefit of crowd noise, and this is not an offense that I think is going to threaten them. So, low-scoring from Clemson on the offensive side.”
Klatt gave his final score prediction:
“I like Texas to win this game. Texas, I think, is going to get close to 30 points. I think they score 27. Clemson does not score 20 points. I think they score 17… I think I’m going to take the points with Clemson just because of this offense and the lack of production from Texas down the back half of the year. But again, the Texas defense is going to win this game for them.
Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt predicts that a Big Ten team will beat Georgia in the national championship
Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt has predicted who he thinks will win the national championship. Klatt made his national championship prediction on “The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast”.
Klatt predicts that Georgia Bulldogs will play against the Oregon Ducks in the national championship. Klatt has Oregon beating Ohio State in the Rose Bowl (quarterfinals) and Oregon beating Texas in the seminfinals.
“I think Oregon beats Texas. Their (Oregon’s) speed… they are dynamic. I think Oregon goes to the national championship game and they would face Georgia,” said Klatt.
Klatt predicts that Georgia will beat Indiana in the Sugar Bowl (quarterfinals). “I do like Georgia against either Indiana or Notre Dame,” said Klatt. He considers the Indiana-Notre Dame game to be a toss up.
“You just can’t quit Kirby Smart,” said Klatt. “When Kirby Smart gets into these situations… they win the game. Do we think that James Franklin and Penn State will be able to beat Georgia (in the playoff semifinals) on a neutral? Oh man, that’s a tough one. I think it could be close, but I’ve got Oregon and Georgia as the national championship game as Dan Lanning takes on his former team.”
Klatt has Oregon winning the national championship over Georgia, which is a bit of a surprise since Georgia would have a significant crowd advantage for the game.
“Remember, the first game that Dan Lanning coached at Oregon was against Georgia and they weren’t close. And now, I’ve got Oregon winning the national championship, beating Kirby Smart, beating Georgia in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium down there in Atlanta,” Klatt said. “The same stadium UGA beat Oregon 49-3 in that first game back in 2022.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
Georgia has a tall task ahead with back up quarterback Gunner Stockton, but the media is not necessarily doubting the Bulldogs after UGA topped Texas to win the SEC championship game.
Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are officially Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt’s pick to win the national championship this season.
The Oregon Ducks are heading into the College Football Playoffs with an advantageous position, seeded No. 1 in the tournament and getting a first-round bye with a second-round game at the Rose Bowl.
This is where the predictions start to come in. On the Bleav in Oregon Podcast, Zachary Neel and Jonathan Stewart predicted that the Ducks will beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the first national championship in program history.
This week on his podcast, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt predicted a different championship matchup — the Oregon Ducks vs. Dan Lanning’s good friend Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.
So who comes out on top in that matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the playoff?
Oregon fans, it might be time to get your hopes up.
It would be Lanning’s first-ever win against his old boss Kirby Smart, and somewhat of a cathartic victory as well, coming at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the place where Lanning lost his first game as head coach of the Ducks, to the same Bulldogs, 49-3.
Over the next week or two, we will see a lot more predictions come down for who will win it all, but the Ducks are unsurprisingly a popular pick early on in the playoff.
One thing is clear: The transfer portal needs to be regulated sooner than later
It’s not surprising that the existing college football transfer portal model is wholly unsustainable; however, until new legislation is enacted or even contemplated, only a few programs will keep benefiting. Meanwhile, other programs will need to depend solely on recruiting high school athletes.
For Texas A&M, the Aggies have lost 19 players from the portal while gaining five in return. While the math doesn’t balance out, nearly every portal departure was either backups or rotational players that will likely be replaced by future transfers or incoming freshmen from the 2025 cycle.
However, every one of the five new additions provides immediate benefits next season, especially wide receivers Micah Hudson and Mario Cramer, who will more than likely earn starting or key rotational spots on offense.
While Texas A&M should benefit from the portal, Fox Sports Analyst Joel Klatt joined the chorus of media members and fans upset at the “Wild Wild West” like environment the portal presents, providing his solution in a post on X on Tuesday:
“The easiest fix to this December transfer portal madness is finishing the CFB season prior to the start of the spring semester…We should be crowning a champ near Jan. 1 and then we can have a 8-10 day window after that.”
This “solution” will likely never happen, mainly due to the 12-team College Football Playoff structure that could expand to 14 teams in the coming years, so unless the regular season begins even earlier, the most realistic solution is more oversight on potential tampering and not allowing players to transfer more than twice.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Joel Klatt’s top 10 college football rankings are out after conference championship weekend
Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt released his top 10 college football rankings after conference championship weekend.
Of the championship games, none was more anticipated than Georgia-Texas in the SEC. The game was a defensive duel: Texas held a 6-3 halftime lead.
Georgia looked down and out when Carson Beck suffered an injury that took him out of the game, but the UGA rushing offense came alive. Texas countered with a strong passing game and the two teams went to overtime tied at 16. The Longhorns kicked a field goal on their drive, but the Bulldogs scored a touchdown to win, 22-19.
Georgia slides up to No. 2 in Klatt’s rankings, while Texas falls to No. 6. The Bulldogs earned a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed for winning the SEC; Texas hosts Clemson in the first round.
A pair of playoff bubble teams played in the ACC championship. Clemson dominated SMU, holding a 31-14 lead going into the fourth, but SMU tied the game with 16 seconds left. However, the Mustangs’ special teams allowed a big return and with one play, Clemson moved into field-goal range. Clemson’s kicker Noah Hauser booted the game-winning 56-yard field goal.
The Big Ten championship between Oregon and Penn State was an offensive shootout. Oregon unleashed an excellent offensive game plan, but Penn State never relented. The Nittany Lions had a chance to tie the game late, but the Ducks picked off Drew Allar, sealing the game and the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
The Big 12 championship was not close. Arizona State thoroughly manhandled Iowa State, 45-19. As a result, the Sun Devils are the improbable winners of the Big 12 and get a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed.
Outside of the Power Four, the Boise State Broncos took care of business against the UNLV Rebels, 21-7. The Boise State offense relied on a steady diet from Ashton Jeanty, while the defense shut down UNLV’s offense. Boise State also earns a bye and the No. 3 spot.
The final College Football Playoff rankings were released on Sunday. Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona get to rest for an extra week. No. 12 Clemson plays No. 5 Texas at home, and No. 11 SMU travels to Beaver Stadium to play the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions. No. 10 Indiana and No. 7 Notre Dame play in an in-state rivalry, and No. 8 Ohio State plays No. 9 Tennessee.
Honorable Mentions: Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Clemson Tigers, SMU Mustangs
Here are Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams:
No. 10: Arizona State Sun Devils
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Record: 11-2 (plus-11.8 average point differential)
Result: Big 12 championship win vs. Iowa State Cyclones 45-19
No. 9: Boise State Broncos
Brian Losness-Imagn Images
Record: 12-1 (plus-17.2 average point differential)
Result: Mountain West championship win vs. UNLV Rebels 21-7
No. 8: Indiana Hoosiers
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Record: 11-1 (plus-28.7 average point differential)
Result: Off
No. 7: Penn State Nittany Lions
Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Record: 11-2 (plus-17.2 average point differential)
Result: Big Ten championship loss vs. Oregon Ducks 45-37
He gives “almosts” to Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Clemson and SMU.
Regular readers will know that [autotag]Danny Kanell’s[/autotag] Top 12 list is usually shared here, too, but unless your author missed something, it appears Kanell didn’t create one now that the 12-team College Football Playoff field is set.
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) scores on a 36-yard touchdown run against the Southern California Trojans in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Joel Klatt’s predicts who will win the SEC championship game between UGA and Texas
Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt has predicted his SEC championship winner. The Georgia Bulldogs take on the Texas Longhorns Saturday afternoon in the SEC championship.
Klatt went on “The Joel Klatt Show” to discuss the SEC championship at length.
What does Joel Klatt say about the SEC championship?
On Kirby Smart: “We’re going to get underdog Kirby…when Georgia wins against an SEC team they should’ve, you’ll probably catch Kirby saying ‘Man, it’s tough to win on the road in the SEC’ and when Georgia wins a big game against a tough opponent, he’ll say, ‘Nobody gave us a chance to win this.'”
On the first meeting: “Georgia’s defensive line totally dominated the offensive line of Texas, which was a bit surprising. I think Texas has one of the best offensive line in the country.”
“Do I think this game is going to play exactly like the first meeting? No. Sark is too smart to go with the same game plan against Georgia.”
On injuries: “Kelvin Banks, the star left tackle for Texas, is dealing with an ankle injury…Quinn Ewers has been dealing with an ankle injury, so how effective is Kelvin Banks going against a front that was the only front to dominate the line over the course of the year?”
On Arch Manning: “Could the legs of Arch Manning be a factor in this game? It very well might be. Georgia’s defense gave up a ton of yardage to Haynes King. That could be an advantage for Texas. I like Quinn Ewers a lot but I’m starting to come around in that Arch might be a better option. This could be a similar discussion to Alabama back when they had Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts in 2017.”
On which Georgia team will show up: “I’m not sure. Let’s just hope for their sake that it’s the good version.”
On Carson Beck: “I think Carson Beck’s been better the last three games. He still turned it over three times against Texas and they (the Bulldogs) won, but he’s had twelve touchdowns and no turnovers the past three games. Can Carson Beck drive the ball against Texas and score?”
On the defensive matchup: “Texas’s defense is an elite defense. They’re No. 2 in the country behind only Ohio State, and Georgia’s defense just gave up 500 yards to Georgia Tech.”
Klatt believes that Texas will win in the rematch. “I think Texas wins the rematch. I think they’re a better football team. I think they win it 24-21,” Klatt said.
