Joel Klatt – Syndication Server

Georgia ranked behind 4 Big Ten teams in Joel Klatt’s rankings

The Georgia Bulldogs rise in Joel Klatt’s newest rankings, but are still ranked behind four Big Ten teams

Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt released his top 10 college football rankings after an interesting Week 12 produce massive shakeups in the SEC and the Big 12.

Week 12 featured an SEC heavyweight bout between the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers. In a potential elimination game, the Georgia Bulldogs won 31-17 by shutting out the Vols in the second half. Carson Beck had one of his best games of the season, 347 yards and two touchdowns, and the UGA pass rush racked up five sacks.

The Bulldogs rose to No. 6 thanks to the win, while Tennessee fell to No. 9, where Georgia was previously ranked.

The Big 12 featured a major upset in the Kansas-BYU game. The BYU Cougars were looking to keep their undefeated season alive against the Kansas Jayhawks (3-6), who were considered inferior competition. Instead, they received a rude awakening, stunningly losing 17-13. Kansas scored the go-ahead touchdown with 13:19 left. Even with three drives and plenty of time, BYU couldn’t muster anything other than two punts and a turnover on downs. BYU falls out of Joel Klatt’s rankings, and BYU is tied with Colorado for the best conference record in the Big 12.

With the third College Football Playoff rankings coming on Nov. 19, there’s more urgency to lock in a playoff spot. Oregon has more than likely earned a spot, finishing 8-0 in the Big Ten even if it looked sloppy against Wisconsin (5-5). Notre Dame will more than likely earn a playoff spot if it beats Army. Georgia did great work in making sure it is in perfect position for a spot, too.

Tennessee, meanwhile, could slide out of the playoff bracket just as Georgia did last week, opening the door for SMU, Texas A&M or Colorado to take the final spot.

Next week will be huge for the Big Ten. Undefeated Indiana heads to Columbus to play the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Big 12 also might have some big changes. BYU plays Arizona State, a much more difficult opponent than Kansas.

Honorable Mentions: Miami Hurricanes, Boise State Broncos, Texas A&M Aggies, Colorado Buffaloes

Here are Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams:

No. 10: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Record: 9-1 (plus-26.6 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Virginia Cavaliers 35-14

Fighting Irish Wire

No. 9: Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 8-2 (plus-16.1 average point differential)

Result: Loss at Georgia Bulldogs 31-17

Volunteers Wire

No. 8: Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 8-2 (plus-20.1 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Mercer Bears 52-7

Crimson Tide Wire

No. 7: Ole Miss Rebels

Record: 7-2 (plus-22.4 average point differential)

Result: Bye

No. 6: Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 8-2 (plus-8.7 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Tennessee Volunteers 31-17

No. 5: Penn State Nittany Lions

Record: 9-1 (plus-19.4 average point differential)

Result: Win at Purdue Boilermakers 49-10

Nittany Lions Wire

No. 4: Indiana Hoosiers

Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 10-0 (plus-25.2 average point differential)

Result: Bye

No. 3: Texas Longhorns

Record: 9-1 (plus-25.1 average point differential)

Result: Win at Arizona Razorbacks 20-10

Longhorns Wire

No. 2: Ohio State Buckeyes

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 9-1 (plus-27.5 average point differential)

Result: Win at Northwestern Wildcats 31-7

Buckeyes Wire

No. 1: Oregon Ducks

Record: 11-0 (plus-19 average point differential)

Result: Win at Wisconsin Badgers 16-13

Ducks Wire

Experts move Notre Dame up in polls

Notre Dame is getting back in the experts’ good graces.

Along with making moves in the AP Top 25 Poll, the No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are moving up on the experts’ lists, too.

Well, on one expert’s list. Another keeps the Fighting Irish in the same spot.

[autotag]Danny Kanell[/autotag] has Notre Dame at No. 8 this week, one spot up from last week. [autotag]Joel Klatt[/autotag] kept the Irish at No. 10.

Kanell’s top 12 is Oregon, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas, SMU, Miami (Florida), Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia and Tulane.

Klatt’s top 10 is Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Indiana, Penn State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee and Notre Dame. “Almosts” are Miami (Florida), Boise State, Texas A&M and Colorado.

Notre Dame safety Rod Heard II (2) tackles Virginia wide receiver Ethan Davies (26) during a NCAA college football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend.

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Joel Klatt predicts winner of Georgia vs. Tennessee

Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt predicts who will win the Georgia vs. Tennessee football game

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt thinks the Georgia Bulldogs’ season is on the line against Tennessee.

“Georgia’s playing for their life for all intents and purposes. Georgia probably cannot get in with another loss, and by probably, I mean, like almost 100% cannot get in with another loss. There would have to be a ton of chaos for a nine and three team to make this playoff,” said Klatt.

No. 10 Georgia’s home game versus the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers is expected to be a great game between two College Football Playoff contenders. Georgia and Tennessee play at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Georgia-Tennessee game will be televised on ABC.

Georgia’s game against Tennessee is a potential elimination game for the Bulldogs. Georgia is also coming off a loss, so Klatt thinks that will give Georgia extra motivation heading into Saturday.

“Kirby (Smart) always gets his team ready when they’ve got this us against the world mentality,” said Klatt. “When they feel doubted when, they feel like their back is against the wall. Georgia is going to play better.”

Georgia is coming off a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss and has several injuries ahead of the Tennessee game. However, there’s no injury more notable than Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s concussion. Klatt does mention that he thinks Iamaleava will play.

“It’s still a veteran quarterback in Carson Beck that you would expect to start to play better. Beck has turned it over, this is staggering, 14 times in the last six games. That means that he’s turned the ball over more in the last six games than anybody in college football,” said Klatt.

Carson Beck did a better job of avoiding interceptions against Ole Miss and needs some help from his receivers and offensive line against Tennessee.

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Klatt, who played quarterback at Colorado, thinks the Georgia-Tennessee game will a low-scoring affair. Klatt has Tennessee covering the surprisingly large 10-point spread against Georgia, but he predicts Georgia will win.

Joel Klatt’s prediction: Georgia 20, Tennessee 17

Joel Klatt on being ‘wrong’ about having Clemson football in the playoff picture

Klatt on Clemson’s let down loss to Louisville.

Clemson’s football’s ACC title and playoff ambitions took a major hit after a disappointing 33-21 home loss to Louisville last weekend, a game in which they were favored by 10 points. The Tigers, riding high on a six-game winning streak and boasting one of the nation’s highest-scoring offenses, were expected to continue that momentum but instead found themselves outmatched by a resilient Louisville squad.

Louisville’s defense held Clemson’s previously high-powered offense in check, forcing key turnovers and blocking two field goals. Clemson’s defense, meanwhile, struggled to stop Louisville’s ground game, allowing 210 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals put together five consecutive scoring drives to close out the game.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt didn’t hold back his surprise at Clemson’s performance. “I was totally wrong about Clemson,” Klatt shared on his podcast, explaining that he believed Clemson’s recent offensive success would continue. He added, “I was putting them in the playoff, and they threw out an absolute stinker…at home. I did not see that coming.”

Klatt further emphasized the impact of Louisville’s head coach, Jeff Brohm, who has a history of pulling off big upsets. “This goes back to what Jeff Brohm just does,” Klatt said, recalling Brohm’s penchant for upsetting top teams. “But doing it on the road at Clemson, that was impressive, and that’s got to be a disappointing, disappointing, frustrating loss for Clemson fans.”

With this setback, Clemson (6-2, 5-1 ACC) will look to regroup when they head to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech this Saturday. Their defeat, along with Pittsburgh’s loss to SMU, leaves Miami and SMU as the ACC’s only undefeated teams in conference play.

Joel Klatt’s rankings after Big Ten showdown in Week 10

Joel Klatt drops Georgia football in his top 10 college football rankings?

Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt released his top 10 college football rankings after an awesome Week 10. There were several battles between ranked opponents and some near upsets this week, but most of Klatt’s rankings remain the same.

Week 10 featured a classic Big Ten duel between Ohio State and Penn State, with the Nittany Lions, despite an injury to Drew Allar, trying to break a long streak of losing to the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be and the Pen State lost for the 12th time in the series’ last 13 meetings.

Penn State got their only touchdown of the day off a Will Howard pick. Penn State had two drives inside the Ohio State five yard line. The first drive was at the end of the second quarter, when Drew Allar threw a pick that was snatched from the grasp of his receiver. On the second drive, which was their last drive of the day, Penn State simply couldn’t convert.

While Penn State couldn’t get it done, there were several underdogs that won this week. Clemson was throttled 33-21 by Louisville in a game that was never close after the second quarter, SMU decimated Pitt 48-25 to gain significant ground in the ACC, Iowa State suffered their first loss of the season against Texas Tech thanks to a touchdown with 24 seconds left, and South Carolina blew the doors off of Texas A&M’s defense. The Gamecocks totaled 286 rushing yards in a 44-20 blowout.

With the first official College Football Playoff rankings coming out on Election Day, this week was super important for solidifying spots. With Iowa State’s loss, BYU takes over the top spot in the Big 12.

Oregon still rains supreme atop the Big Ten. Miami only has to beat Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Syracuse to earn the top spot in the ACC, and UGA got a big boost in clinching the SEC with the Texas A&M loss and their 34-20 win over Florida.

The Bulldogs can’t rest on their laurels yet. Next week, they go up against an Ole Miss team that just put up 63 points against Arkansas. In Week 11, Alabama also plays LSU in a battle with playoff implications.

Honorable Mentions: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Boise State Broncos

Here are Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams:

No. 10: BYU Cougars

Record: 8-0 (plus-15.5 average point differential)

Result: Win at UCF Knights

No. 9: Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 6-2 (plus-19.0 average point differential)

Result: Bye

Crimson Tide Wire

No. 8: Penn State Nittany Lions

.© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 7-1 (plus-15.8 average point differential)

Result: Loss vs. No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 13-20

Nittany Lions Wire

No. 7: Tennessee Volunteers

© Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 7-1 (plus-20 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Kentucky Wildcats 28-18

Volunteers Wire

No. 6: Indiana Hoosiers

Record: 9-0 (plus-27.8 average point differential)

Result: Win at Michigan Spartans 47-10

No. 5: Miami Hurricanes

Record: 9-0 (plus-22.1 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Duke Blue Devils 53-31

Hurricanes Wire

No. 4: Texas Longhorns

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 7-1 (plus-26.1 average point differential)

Result: Bye

Longhorns Wire

No. 3: Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 7-1 (plus-11.7 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Florida Gators 34-20

No. 2: Ohio State Buckeyes

Record: 6-1 (plus-20.8 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions 20-13

Buckeyes Wire

No. 1: Oregon Ducks

© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 9-0 (plus-20.8 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Michigan Wolverines 38-17

Ducks Wire

Experts bring Notre Dame back into fold

Notre Dame is back on the experts’ radar.

Notre Dame may have slipped a little in the AP Top 25 poll, but [autotag]Danny Kanell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joel Klatt[/autotag] have the Fighting Irish back on their radar.

Kanell has the Irish back in his top 10 while Klatt has them getting an “almost” vote.

Kanell actually lists his top 12 teams and the Fighting Irish are number 10. His top five is Oregon, Miami (Florida), Indiana, BYU and Ohio State. Following are Georgia, SMU, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Boise State.

Klatt has his top 10 as Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Miami (Florida), Indiana, Tennessee, Penn State, Alabama and BYU. Notre Dame and Boise State get “almost” votes.

So while it might be frustrating for Irish fans to see Notre Dame slip two spots in the AP poll without playing, it appears there’s a consensus among the experts that the Fighting Irish are, at present, right around number 10 in the rankings.

Notre Dame remains in the AP Top 10 for Week 10. — Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Rod Heard II (2) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the second half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Joel Klatt makes bold prediction on Ohio State football’s CFP chance

CBS Sports’ analyst Joel Klatt thinks that even a two-loss Ohio State football program can make the playoffs.

The Ohio State Buckeyes should obviously want to win the rest of their games and face Oregon in the Big Ten Championship and then defeat the Ducks on the neutral-field game to get their revenge from a few weeks ago.

That’s the ideal way the next few months ago.

Sure, let’s add in that they make the College Football Playoffs and win it all as well. That’s the ideal world. In the non-ideal world, the Buckeyes could lose to Penn State, Indiana or Michigan — all relatively formidable foes left on their schedule.

If the Buckeyes go 10-2, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt still believes this team is in.

At 10-2, the Buckeyes are in the CFP ‼️ @joelklatt believes what Ohio State would rather do is win out and get a rematch in the @bigten Championship with Oregon 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wAYd3nKyf9

— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) October 30, 2024

Brand recognition certainly plays a part. Having gone toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country on the road certainly helps.

Regardless, there is a non-zero chance the Buckeyes don’t win the rest of their games, and should they drop just two, it is nice to know most national media wouldn’t automatically turn their backs on them.

While some may, at least for Ohio State, Klatt wouldn’t.

Joel Klatt offers bold prediction for Alabama-LSU rivalry showdown

Here’s what Joel Klatt said about Alabama’s massive showdown with LSU on Nov. 9.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt has updated his projected College Football Playoff rankings entering the month of November — along with a bold prediction for the Nov. 9 showdown in Baton Rouge between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers.

Speaking on the Thursday edition of his daily podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast,” Klatt unveiled his new 12-team playoff projections entering the month of November. He sees the Oregon Ducks as the Big Ten champion and No. 1 seed with the Georgia Bulldogs as the SEC champion and No. 2 seed.

The Clemson Tigers were Klatt’s projected ACC champion and No. 3 seed, and the BYU Cougars as the No. 4 seed and Big 12 champion.

As for Alabama, Klatt projected the Crimson Tide as the No. 10 seed after predicting that Kalen DeBoer’s team will beat LSU at Tiger Stadium. Kickoff for Alabama-LSU is 6:30 p.m. CT on Nov. 9. The game will be televised on ABC.

Klatt said on his podcast:

“Remember, ‘Bama has the win over Georgia. And in this case, I would have them winning, at night, at LSU. So, they’re in. They’re absolutely in.”

Earlier this week, Klatt ranked Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide at No. 9 in his Top 10 rankings.

Klatt said of Alabama after its 34-0 win over the Missouri Tigers:

“That was a big bounce-back win for Alabama on Saturday, even if it was against a Missouri team that has been overrated since the beginning of the season. Alabama’s defense played incredibly well after a few weeks of underwhelming play. I’m not sure how much we should take from that game because I don’t think Missouri is particularly good. But when you win 34-0 against an SEC opponent, it should mean something.”

In addition to Alabama as the No. 10 seed in his projected playoff field entering November, Klatt has the Ohio State Buckeyes as his No. 5 seed, the Texas Longhorns at No. 6, Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 7, Notre Dame at No. 8 and the Tennessee Volunteers at No. 9.

The Miami Hurricanes were Klatt’s No. 11 seed with Group of Five champion Boise State rounding out the field as the No. 12 seed.

Where Joel Klatt has Clemson in updated College Football Playoff rankings

Joel Klatt continues to be very high on the Clemson Tigers.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt has updated his projected College Football Playoff rankings entering the month of November.

The broadcaster and former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback unveiled his new projected 12-team playoff ahead of Week 10 games on his daily podcast, The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast. Klatt ranks the Oregon Ducks as his No. 1 overall seed with the Georgia Bulldogs as the No. 2 seed.

The Clemson Tigers are Klatt’s projected No. 3 seed with the BYU Cougars the No. 4 seed. As a conference champion, Clemson would receive a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff and play in the quarterfinal round at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Klatt has been high on Cade Klubnik and the Tigers in recent weeks, ranking them No. 6 in his updated Top 25 rankings earlier this week.

Klatt said on his podcast:

“Clemson is still my ACC champ. That’s going to remain the same (as last month). I’ve got them at No. 3.”

Klatt followed up his four projected conference champions with his seven at-large berths. He has the Ohio State Buckeyes as his No. 5 seed, the Texas Longhorns at No. 6, Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 7, Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 8, Tennessee Volunteers at No. 9, and the Alabama Crimson Tide as his No. 10 seed.

The Miami Hurricanes were Klatt’s No. 11 seed with Group of Five champion Boise State rounding out the field as the No. 12 seed.

Clemson schedule 2024

No. 8 Clemson hosts the Louisville Cardinals Saturday in Death Valley. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.

Joel Klatt calls Deion Sanders’ rebuild at Colorado an ‘unequivocal success’

Joel Klatt sent a strong message to those who doubted Coach Prime

Two years after a one-win campaign, the Colorado Buffaloes are currently 6-2 under the leadership of head coach Deion Sanders, who has delivered for his supporters and quieted critics this season.

Coach Prime’s Buffs are vastly improved on both sides of the ball and national pundits have taken notice. In a recent episode of “The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast,” Fox Sports analyst and former Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt offered his thoughts on the Buffs’ recent success.

“Deion Sanders gets hired, he brings his son Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, he talked a big game about the transfer portal, and he has rebuilt that entire program,” Klatt said. “Deion Sanders has been an unequivocal success, and I mean home run success. There is no other way to categorize it. All of you that want to take shots because you don’t like his style now have to sit there and watch his team play tough at the line of scrimmage, do a better job at the offensive line running the football and taking care of the ball and now they’re 6-2.”

Klatt would later call out those who doubted Sanders’ ability to coach.

“Where are all of you now that think Deion is a joke?” Klatt said. “Where are all of you now that think Deion is only in it for himself? This guy can coach, and I’m glad he’s going it at Colorado.”

After a bye week, Colorado will battle Texas Tech in Lubbock on Nov. 9 (time and television TBD).

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