Joel Klatt – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Joel Klatt has Clemson just outside his Top 5 college football teams

Joel Klatt’s re-ranking of the Top 10 teams entering Week 8 sees the Clemson Tigers on the rise again.

If Dabo Swinney is still selling stock in the Clemson Tigers, count Fox Sports analyst and broadcaster Joel Klatt as an investor at the midway point of the regular season.

Klatt re-ranked his Top 10 college football teams this week following another thrilling Saturday of wall-to-wall action — and another lopsided Clemson victory (49-14 over Wake Forest) in ACC play.

The Tigers moved up one spot to No. 6 in Klatt’s new rankings. It’s the second week in a row that Klatt favors Clemson over the Miami Hurricanes, who stayed at No. 8 after a bye week.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik and crew are ranked one spot behind unbeaten Penn State (6-0) at No. 5 in Klatt’s re-ranking. The Tigers are one spot ahead of Alabama (5-1) following another near-disaster for the Crimson Tide, who needed a full 60 minutes to get past South Carolina last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The Texas Longhorns stayed at No. 1 in Klatt’s rankings, followed by the Oregon Ducks after their huge 32-31 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes in Eugene.

My new Top 10 in CFB (10/12)
1) @TexasFootball
2) @oregonfootball
3) @OhioStateFB
4) @GeorgiaFootball
5) @PennStateFball
6) @ClemsonFB
7) @AlabamaFTBL
8) @LSUfootball
9) @CycloneFB
10) @CanesFootball
Almost: @Vol_Football @BYUfootball @AggieFootball @NDFootball

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 13, 2024

Clemson (5-1 overall, 4-0 ACC) is ranked No. 9 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. The Tigers will look to make it six straight wins when they host the Virginia Cavaliers (4-2, 2-1) Saturday in Death Valley. Kickoff is set for noon ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network.

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Where does Joel Klatt have Penn State in his updated top 10?

Where did Joel Klatt rank Penn State in his updated top-10 after the big USC win?

Penn State is riding high going into its bye week after a big road win this past weekend. But Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt still seems to think Penn State is no better than the third-best team in the Big Ten following Week 7.

Unlike the big traditional polls like the AP Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll, where Penn State is the consensus no. 3 team, Klatt has the Nittany Lions a couple of spots lower on his personal top-10. Klatt shared his updated ranking following the results of last weekend, including Penn State’s overtime win at USC and Ohio State’s road loss at Oregon.

Klatt put Penn State at no. 5 and kept Ohio State ranked ahead of the Nittany Lions. Klatt has Ohio State at no. three, one spot behind Oregon. The logic is fair as Klatt still feels that if the two teams were to meet head-to-head, which they will in just three weeks, that Ohio State would be the better team. And to defend his logic, the win probability from ESPN still gives the Nittany Lions a significant disadvantage in that upcoming game.

https://twitter.com/joelklatt/status/1845346555408285776

If we took Klatt’s top-10 rankings and used them to line up the projected College Football Playoff field right now, Penn State would have the no. 7 seed and host a first-round playoff game against Miami. You can see how the playoff field would look if based on the coaches and media polls.

Penn State is off this week but returns to the field next week with a road game at Wisconsin. Penn State’s game at Wisconsin will air on NBC in primetime.

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Joel Klatt’s new top 10 CFB rankings after Big Ten showdown

Joel Klatt releases his college football rankings after a very eventful and back-and-forth Week 7.

Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt has released his top 10 college football rankings after an eventful Week 7. There were several battles between ranked opponents and some near upsets this week, so Joel Klatt had a difficult time with this one.

The 2024 season features a 12-team College Football Playoff, so there’s a chance that any of Klatt’s top teams could make the playoff, even if they don’t win their respective conference.

Week 7 had several near upsets. Georgia fans were holding their breath against Mississippi State in the 41-31 offensive showcase. Alabama fans were given a scare in a narrow 27-25 win against South Carolina that came down to a missed two-point conversion and a botched onside kick recovery.

Tennessee fans saw their game go into overtime against the Florida Gators, where they won due in part to a missed field goal. Penn State won their game in overtime against USC thanks to a missed field goal.

Of course, the game with the biggest implication on this ranking was easily Ohio State vs. Oregon. The Big Ten battle didn’t disappoint, with neither team having a lead of more than one score, but Oregon was able to win it with a late field goal. Ohio State still had a chance, but the drive stalled out at the Oregon 26 with Will Howard deciding to slide as time expired.

Honorable Mentions: Tennessee Volunteers, BYU Cougars, Texas A&M Aggies, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Here are Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams:

No. 10: Miami Hurricanes

Record: 6-0 (+28.8 average point differential)

Result: Bye

Hurricanes Wire

No. 9: Iowa State Cyclones

Record: 6-0 (+19.7 average point differential)

Result: Win at West Virginia Mountaineers 28-16

No. 8: LSU Tigers

SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 5-1 (+11.8 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels 29-26

LSU Tigers Wire

No. 7: Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 5-1 (+20.8 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. South Carolina Gamecocks 27-25

Crimson Tide Wire

No. 6: Clemson Tigers

Record: 5-1 (+19.3 average point differential)

Result: Win at Wake Forest Demon Deacons 49-14

Clemson Tigers Wire

No. 5: Penn State Nittany Lions

Record: 6-0 (+19.7 average point differential)

Result: Win at USC Trojans 33-30

Nittany Lions Wire

No. 4: Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 5-1 (+16.3 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs 41-31

No. 3: Ohio State Buckeyes

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

Record: 5-1 (+32.5 average point differential)

Result: Loss vs. No. 3 Oregon Ducks 33-32

Buckeyes Wire

No. 2: Oregon Ducks

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 6-0 (+18 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Ohio State Buckeyes 33-32

Ducks Wire

No. 1: Texas Longhorns

Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 6-0 (+36.8 average point differential)

Result: Win at Oklahoma Sooners 34-3

Longhorns Wire

Experts still keeping Notre Dame off the top of lists, blowout versus Stanford aside

Notre Dame still has work to do to get respect.

We’re starting to sound like a broken record, but once again, two top college football experts have kept Notre Dame off of their top 10 lists.

Although one does have the Fighting Irish in the “almost” category.

Once again, we blame the continuing fallout from the Northern Illinois game, though at this point it’s less about that loss than the perception that Notre Dame has only played one quality opponent — Louisville — since.

The schedule is the schedule, though, and while it probably is weaker in 2024 than Irish fans are used to seeing, Notre Dame can only play the team in front of it. Next week it faces a frisky but not unbeatable Georgia Tech team in a neutral-site game that’s in the Yellow Jacket’s backyard.

Florida State was once considered tough, but that team is a mess. Army and Navy are both undefeated to this point but few expect either team to beat the Irish. Even if it wins out, Notre Dame may still be overlooked until it faces USC at season’s end — and even then, the Irish will need a victory over the Trojans.

Joel Klatt did put the Irish as an “almost” in his Top 10 before giving the top five to Texas, Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia and Penn State. Danny Kannell, meanwhile, doesn’t have the Irish in his Top 12. He doesn’t list honorable mentions.

Kannell’s top five are Texas, Oregon, Penn State, Miami (Florida) and BYU.

For reference, the Irish are No. 12 in the AP poll.

Notre Dame will need to keep stacking wins — and ones that look like the blowout over Stanford, if possible — to get more respect. Perhaps some other teams need to lose, as well.

Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen (34) tackles Stanford running back Chris Davis Jr. (5) during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend.

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Joel Klatt praises Dabo Swinney, Clemson, for huge turnaround

Swinney and the Tigers are on a roll.

Joel Klatt, the lead college football analyst for FOX Sports, recently expressed admiration for Clemson during a conversation with Colin Cowherd on The Herd, especially when discussing Dabo Swinney’s approach to the transfer portal. While Swinney has often faced criticism for his reluctance to fully embrace the portal, Klatt highlighted the Tigers’ continuity compared to teams like Florida State, which relies heavily on transfer players.

Cowherd started by noting how the transfer portal makes it challenging for teams to maintain cohesion, emphasizing the advantage of having players who have developed together over several years. Klatt agreed, pointing to Clemson as a prime example of a program benefiting from stability, saying, “As other teams lose that cohesiveness and chemistry, the margin between the teams that are rebuilding every single year out of the portal – like a Florida State – and the teams that can stick together – like, look at Clemson as a great example of this.”

The conversation continued with Klatt recognizing the improvement Clemson has shown, saying, “We bang on Dabo all the time,” while Cowherd added, “They’ve righted the ship a little bit.” Klatt’s response: “You betcha they have.”

Clemson, now 4-1 (3-0 ACC), has impressed Klatt during its current four-game winning streak after the opening loss to Georgia. Klatt pointed out that since that defeat, the Tigers have consistently improved and now rank as the third-highest-scoring offense in college football, averaging 48 points per game. He also speculated that Miami wouldn’t want to face Clemson in the ACC Championship, noting, “If you look at what they’ve done – they’ve grown, they’ve gotten better, they’ve developed, and now all of a sudden… who wants to play ’em? I can guarantee you, you know who doesn’t want to play Clemson? Miami.”

Miami might have their hands full against Clemson.

Joel Klatt likes LSU’s chances in critical game against Ole Miss

Joel Klatt picked the Tigers to get the win on Saturday night in Death Valley.

The trajectory for the rest of LSU’s 2024 season will likely be determined on Saturday.

The Tigers host a top-10 opponent as Ole Miss comes to town for a matchup between one-loss teams, and the night game at Death Valley — where the Rebels haven’t won since 2008 — could ultimately prove to be a College Football Playoff elimination game.

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt has made his picks for the week, and as he examined the Tigers’ matchup, he had high praise for quarterback [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag].

“Nussmeier has been outstanding,” Klatt said. “Dart has as well, but there’s something about Nussmeier I just like… There’s a bottom-line proposition at quarterback play, is the ball on time and on target? And with Nussmeier, generally speaking, that’s the case. And it’s hard to beat.”

Ultimately, Klatt likes the Tigers’ chances in this one. He picked them to win 35-31 — a smart prediction if I do say so myself.

“Ole Miss is favored by 3.5, don’t like that at all,” Klatt said. “Ole Miss on the road, at night, in Death Valley, LSU coming off a bye, injury concerns about Ole Miss. This is an LSU win for me all day long. I even had to tighten up the score… I’ve got LSU in this ball game fairly high scoring 35-31. Tigers at home, give me that Death Valley environment for the win.”

The Tigers are looking to avenge last season’s shootout loss in Oxford and remain unbeaten in SEC play when they host the Rebels at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night.

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Joel Klatt makes surprising prediction concerning Texas A&M’s playoff chances

Rat poison? Just win, baby

Texas A&M has made it through the first six games of the 2024 season with a 5-1 record and an SEC-leading 3-0 start in conference play after dismantling the Missouri Tigers 41-10 on Saturday afternoon, as the Aggies now head toward their Week 7 bye week.

While starting 5-1 has surprised nearly every media member who seemingly placed the program in rebuild territory under first-year head coach Mike Elko, the roster was always too talented to struggle through what remains a manageable schedule. However, despite the success, it hasn’t been for the faint of heart.

After two games, starting quarterback Conner Weigman’s shoulder injury resulted in the redshirt sophomore missing three consecutive games, giving way to backup QB Marcel Reed, helping the Aggies win the next three games. However, it wasn’t without some struggle.

After defeating Arkansas 21-17 behind a memorable defensive effort, Reed’s struggles with accuracy hindered A&M’s passing offense. This led to Weigman’s return to practice last week and eventual first start in nearly a month against Missouri.

After completing 18/22 for 276 yards, paired with 238 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, the Aggies torched the Tigers and now look like one of the best teams in the SEC.

Well, it didn’t take long for the national media to take notice, as Fox Sports CFB analyst Joel Klatt is all of a sudden a fan of what the Aggies have accomplished so far, stating on X,

“Wrap your mind around this…@AggieFootball (Texas A&M Football) has a good shot at the CFP…in fact I would put money on it right now.”

To quote former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, most of the fanbase will see this as “rat poison,” but it’s also not surprising that more analysts are taking notice of what the Aggies have accomplished thus far.

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Joel Klatt ranks Oregon Ducks lower than AP or Coaches Poll after Week 6

Joel Klatt doesn’t have the Ducks as high as the AP Top 25 or the Coaches Poll.

It took a few weeks, but the Oregon Ducks managed to get back up to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll after the Week 6 win over Michigan State.

Oregon was ranked No. 3 at the start of the year, but following two close wins over the Idaho Vandals and Boise State Broncos, the Ducks dropped to No. 9 in the nation.

After a tumultuous Saturday where five of the top 11 teams in the nation lost, Oregon is back up to third, behind the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt doesn’t think they should be that high, though.

In his weekly top-10 rankings, Klatt opted to keep the 4-1 Georgia Bulldogs at No. 3, ranked ahead of the 5-0 Ducks and the 5-0 Penn State Nittany Lions. Georgia is ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25, behind both Oregon and Penn State. They were No. 1 in the nation before falling to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 5, which dropped them out of the top spot.

https://twitter.com/joelklatt/status/1843023812209864772

Klatt is catching some backlash for this ranking from fans on social media, many of whom are complaining that Georgia shouldn’t be that high in the rankings with a loss.

No matter what your thoughts on the matter are, it’s clear that things are going to change even more going forward, with No. 2 Ohio State facing No. 3 Oregon this week, while No. 4 Penn State plays a dangerous USC team.

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Joel Klatt’s top 10 CFB rankings after wild Week 6

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt releases his top 10 rankings after an insane Week 6. Where is UGA?

Fox Sports college football expert Joel Klatt has released his top 10 college football rankings after a crazy Week 6. With the chaotic amount of upsets, it was a much more difficult week for him

His top 10 includes four SEC schools, three Big Ten teams, a Big 12 team, and two ACC teams. As usual, the SEC and Big Ten look like the best Power Four conferences in the country.

With the 2024 season featuring an expanded College Football Playoff, there’s a chance that any of these teams could make the playoff, even if they don’t win their respective conference.

Alabama and Tennessee lost to massive underdogs, but now one-loss or even two-loss teams get a better shot at making the postseason. Thankfully for Georgia fans, they were able to take care of business against Auburn.

Through the chaos, the Iowa State Cyclones were able to make their way on this list. Thanks to a dominating 43-21 win over the Baylor Bears, the Cyclones find themselves just outside of US LBM Coaches Poll’s top 10.

Honorable Mentions: Boise State Broncos, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, BYU Cougars, Ole Miss Rebels, LSU Tigers

Here are Joel Klatt’s top 10 teams:

No. 10: Iowa State Cyclones

© Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 5-0 (+21.2 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Baylor Bears 43-21

No. 9: Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 4-1 (+36.6 average point differential)

Result: Loss at Arkansas Razorbacks 19-14

Volunteers Wire

No. 8: Miami Hurricanes

Record: 6-0 (+28.8 average point differential)

Result: Win at California Golden Bears 39-38

Hurricanes Wire

No. 7: Clemson Tigers

Record: 4-1 (+16.25 average point differential)

Result: Win at Florida State Seminoles 29-13

Tigers Wire

No. 6: Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 4-1 (+24.6 point differential)

Result: Loss at Vanderbilt Commodores 40-35

Crimson Tide Wire

No. 5: Penn State Nittany Lions

Record: 5-0 (+23 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. UCLA Bruins 27-11

Nittany Lions Wire

No. 4: Oregon Ducks

Record: 5-0 (+18 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Michigan State Spartans 31-10

Ducks Wire

No. 3: Georgia Bulldogs

Record: 4-1 (+17.6 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Auburn Tigers 31-13

No. 2: Ohio State Buckeyes

© Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 5-0 (+39.2 average point differential)

Result: Win vs. Iowa Hawkeyes 35-7

Buckeyes Wire

No. 1: Texas Longhorns

© Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Record: 5-0 (+38 average point differential)

Result: Bye

Longhorns Wire

LOOK. Joel Klatt calls out ESPN for SEC bias, fairness to Ohio State.

ESPN said what? #GoBucks

In case you missed it, Ohio State more than took care of business against a very good Iowa defensive ball club, pulling away int the second and cruising to a 35-7 win to improve its record to 5-0 on the season.

By all accounts and measures, it was an impressive performance with Iowa’s lone touchdown coming during garbage time when a lot of OSU starters on defense were sitting on the pine.

But don’t tell that to David Hale of ESPN.

No, rather the “worldwide leader” couldn’t help but sling a little criticism towards the Buckeyes when writing up a recap of Ohio State’s performance on Saturday. OSU beat writer Jeremy Birmingham called a spade a spade on the curious reaction to the performance in the ‘Shoe, and he wasn’t the only one.

Fox analyst Joel Klatt picked up on what was written about the Buckeyes by ESPN and more than agreed with the slanted view on OSU’s so-called shortcomings against Iowa.

So what is it exactly that ESPN wrote about Ohio State’s dominating win?

“Had little trouble swatting away Iowa 35-7. Still, it had to feel like a loss for the Buckeyes, who are the first ranked team to allow points to Iowa’s offense since Michigan surrendered two touchdowns in a win over the Hawkeyes in Week 5 of 2022.”

What?

See Birmingham and Klatt’s response below which does seem to have some merit.

They don't even hide it and when you see it and call it out then you're an "SEC Hater"

ok

cool story! https://t.co/zghWI4LZD5

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 6, 2024

Remember, ESPN was not part of the new Big Ten television contract and you have to wonder if there’s an agenda being pushed. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but have to agree this is a pretty poor take on Ohio State and find it hard to believe the same would be written for Alabama or Georgia for instance.

I guess we have to also remember that Klatt calls games for Fox which is a part of the Big Ten’s contract, but still, there does seem to be a shift in how things are framed by ESPN.

It all feels a little like CNN and the Democratic party vs. Fox News and the Republican party.

Oh well, all Ohio State has to do is keep on winning and it’ll all take care of itself. At least, we think.

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