College football analyst expects a 'big year' for Clemson in 2025
The 2024 ACC Champions took down SMU to earn the title and an automatic bid to the 2024 College Football Playoff, where the Tigers fell 38-24 to Texas in the first round. It was a solid run to the playoff for a Clemson team that had mixed expectations heading into the season. While the loss wasn't the result the Tigers were looking for, but a return to the CFP was something that fans were desperate for.
Recently, Pollack discussed which coaches have the most to gain in the 2025 season during an episode of the David Pollack College Football show. One of the names who arose was Swinney, as Pollack has high expectations for the Tigers next season.
Dabo Swinney adds another massive veteran addition to Clemson's staff https://t.co/4QIhnkobPA pic.twitter.com/yt4KcYNNX7
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) February 11, 2025
Dabo, obviously there for a different reason. But I think Dabo's lost the luster, and people now question whether he is that guy. Dabo has two championships. Kirby has two. That's the list of active coaches that have two. Like, they are in a league of their own. Not wanting to adapt to the portal, but adapted to the portal a little bit. Not having a QB, finally got his QB. Not having receivers for a little while, finally got the receivers. I think that this year is going to be a big year for Clemson.
For years, Swinney has been one of, if not the top head coach in college football. Entering year 18, Swinney has the most doubters he's had since he became the Tigers' head coach. He has another opportunity to prove himself in 2025 with a roster that is built to compete for a championship.
Pollack's expectations are valid; Clemson should be a force in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: David Pollack says 2025 is going to be a 'big year' for Clemson
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New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
Our experts' College Football Playoff, Heisman and national title predictions for 2025
Texas is atop the preseason college football polls, and it's also The Athletic staff's favorite to win its first national championship since 2005. And yet: Few of the 28 writers and editors we surveyed believe Arch Manning will win the Heisman Trophy. So how will the 2025 college football season play out? We compiled our staff's best guesses for the national championship game, the Heisman, conference championships and the College Football Playoff field — plus some hot takes and bold predictions. Advertisement Texas is No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll and AP poll. And it's the overwhelming No. 1 here, too, getting 12 of 28 votes — short of a majority, but seven more than anyone else. Last August, a higher percentage of voters here — 16 of 28 — picked Ohio State to win the national title, which proved prophetic despite the Buckeyes' regular-season losses to Oregon and Michigan. Can Texas repeat our predictive prowess? Let's turn to one staff member who chose each team to explain our seven national championship picks: Although Manning's sample size (95 career passes) is too small to tell us whether he'll live up to his sky-high ceiling, it's large enough to show a high floor. That might be good enough with this defense and supporting cast. My feelings about the Longhorns are similar to how I felt about Ohio State before last year and Georgia before Kirby Smart's titles: They've amassed enough talent and gotten close enough (back-to-back semifinalists) to make me think they'll eventually break through. Why not this year? — Matt Baker Dabo Swinney didn't forget how to win, and Clemson has a lot of really solid pieces that are hard not to like. Cade Klubnik is viewed by many as the best quarterback in college football and enters his third year in coordinator Garrett Riley's system with a strong group of receivers. The defense has stars with elite talent at every level, headlined by linemen T.J. 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To go back-to-back, Ohio State will lose to Penn State in the regular season, giving PSU false hope (and real pain), but then the Buckeyes will beat the Nittany Lions in the postseason and win it all again. Some OSU fans will still hate Ryan Day. — Jill Thaw Whereas 12 of the 17 voters who picked Texas to make it to Miami on Jan. 19 believe the Longhorns will hoist the College Football Playoff national championship trophy, Clemson and Penn State don't inspire as much faith to get it done in the end. Clemson got nine national title loser votes to five wins, while Penn State — with its lingering big-game questions under Franklin — got seven national title loser votes to just three wins. Not surprisingly, Clemson vs. Texas (in a rematch of a first-round game last December) is our most popular choice for the national championship matchup, followed by an Ohio State-Texas rematch of their Week 1 showdown in Columbus. 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(Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos: Todd Kirkland, Louis Grasse, Sam Hodde, Jack Gorman / Getty Images)
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Seven bold possibilities for 2025 college football season that aren't crazy
If you're looking for crazy preseason takes on the 2025 college football season, cue up any of Diego Pavia's recent interviews. Vanderbilt's cocksure quarterback recently left Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network speechless after Pavia confidently declared Vanderbilt a national championship contender, on the heels of going 7-6 last season. Credit Pavia for managing that claim with a straight face. Amused though I am by Pavia's boasts, I'm drawing the line in this space short of crazy and offering some bold – but not crazy – possibilities that could happen this season, before issuing a verdict on whether each of these bold possibilities will come to fruition. Bold possibilities for 2025 college football season 1. A team ranked outside the top five will win the national title Why this counts as a bold take: Each of the past five national champions were ranked in the preseason top five of the US LBM Coaches Poll. Why this take isn't crazy: Potential party crashers populate the Nos. 6 through 10 spots in the coaches poll: No. 6 Clemson: The Tigers bring back one of the nation's best quarterbacks in Cade Klubnik, amid a swath of returning production. They're armed with an elite defensive line. No. 7 Oregon: The Ducks totaled 45 victories the past four seasons. They offer good value at this position in the rankings. No. 8 Alabama: It's Alabama. Need I say more? Never count out a program that consistently signs ballyhooed recruiting classes. No. 9 LSU: The Tigers will pair a top-shelf quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier, with the nation's most impressive transfer class. No. 10 Miami: If Carson Beck regains his 2023 form, the Hurricanes become dangerous. What I think will happen: No. 1 Texas will win the national championship behind Arch Manning. 2. A quarterback won't win the Heisman Trophy Why this counts as a bold take: A quarterback won the Heisman in 12 of the past 15 years, and there's no shortage of quarterback star power, from Nussmeier to Klubnik to Beck to Manning to Penn State's Drew Allar and beyond. Why this take isn't crazy: Good though the crop of quarterbacks is, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the nation's most incomparable player. He'll captivate voters while starring for a team that will remain among the nation's elite. What I think will happen: I'm predicting this bold take will become reality. Smith will win the Heisman. 3. Arch Manning will not lead the SEC in passing yards Why this counts as a bold take: Few players have received as much hype as Manning, who possesses the talent to live up to his surname. Why this take isn't crazy: Texas likely will lean on a balanced offensive approach that incorporates running backs Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter working behind a dependable offensive line. What I think will happen: Manning will enjoy a fine season. I like his chances to be among the Heisman finalists, but Nussmeier will lead the SEC in passing yards. He's the nation's only returning quarterback who passed for 4,000 yards last year, and LSU is loaded with standout wide receivers. 4. Three preseason unranked teams will make the playoff Why this counts as a bold take: This prediction depends on multiple dark horses emerging, like Indiana and Arizona State did in 2024. Why this take isn't crazy: Last year, four teams unranked in the preseason made the playoff, with Boise State and SMU joining Indiana and Arizona State. This bold take doesn't require 2025 to match the zaniness of last season, only for it to come close. Boise State is the only ranked Group of Five team, so if any team other than the Broncos claims the Group of Five's automatic bid, that's a start toward three unranked teams qualifying. The Big 12 remains unpredictable, and 12 of its 16 teams begin unranked. Unranked teams like Oklahoma, Baylor, Missouri and Nebraska intrigue me as playoff sleepers. What I think will happen: Two teams unranked in the preseason will make the playoff. 5. Four SEC schools will make coaching changes Why this counts as a bold take: SEC firings have tapered off the past few years after a particularly active coaching carousel in 2020. Large buyouts and schools' financial demands to pay athletes create more pause toward coaching changes. Why this take isn't crazy: A handful of SEC coaches are on the hot seat, from Arkansas' Sam Pittman to Auburn's Hugh Freeze. Oklahoma's Brent Venables and Florida's Billy Napier encounter pivotal seasons, while staring down the nation's two toughest schedules. Their teams could be better, but their rugged schedules might limit win-loss improvement. Kentucky has lost momentum under Mark Stoops, although he's among embattled coaches who enjoy the protection of an immense buyout. No SEC coaches were fired last season. That's groundwork for a much more active coaching carousel this year. What I think will happen: Two SEC coaches will be fired, but a few others will survive the heat. 6. The Big Ten will qualify more playoff teams than the SEC Why this counts as a bold take: The SEC has dominated the College Football Playoff era, and nine SEC teams are ranked in the preseason coaches poll, compared to six ranked Big Ten teams. Why this take isn't crazy: The Big Ten's cream the past two seasons proved sweeter than the SEC's. The SEC enjoys an edge in terms of quality depth, but the Big Ten touts national title contenders in Penn State and Ohio State. Also, Michigan should improve after the arrival of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood. If last year serves as a guide to selecting the 12-team playoff, then it's a race to finishing 10-2 or better. The Big Ten's softer underbelly becomes an advantage to veteran teams like Illinois, which can pursue a playoff bid while facing only two teams ranked in the preseason poll. Compare that to Florida, which will face seven teams ranked in the preseason. If the playoff doubled in size to 24 teams, the SEC's depth would allow it to commandeer the playoff, but in the playoff's current form, the Big Ten is well positioned with a couple of elite teams and a few others equipped to chase 10-2. What I think will happen: The SEC will rebound after a bit of a down season and will qualify as many or more playoff teams as the Big Ten. 7. The national championship will be SEC vs. SEC Why this counts as a bold take: The SEC dominated the four-team playoff era, but the Big Ten has ruled the past two seasons, and the SEC accounted for just 25% of inaugural 12-team playoff bracket. The Big Ten possesses two elite teams in Ohio State and Penn State, and Clemson and Notre Dame profile as championship contenders, too. Why this take isn't crazy: The SEC features no shortage of playoff contenders. The preseason polls tell you that. The conference also includes more national championship contenders than any other league, with Texas, Georgia, Alabama and LSU headlining that list. The playoff's restructured bye rules will allow multiple teams from the same conference to receive first-round byes and make it easier for one conference to push two teams into the national championship. What I think will happen: The SEC will produce the national champion, but not the national runner-up. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Associated Press
32 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Auburn believes it's ready to compete with SEC heavyweights in Year 3 under Hugh Freeze
It makes sense to consider Auburn an afterthought in the Southeastern Conference. After all, the Tigers have endured four consecutive losing seasons — their longest such skid in nearly eight decades — and failed to find much consistency since Tommy Tuberville's heyday 20 years ago. They won the national title with coach Gene Chizik and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton in 2010, then lost 14 games over the next two years. They advanced to the championship game under coach Gus Malzahn in 2013, then delivered a string of mediocrity that essentially turned the Plains into a wasteland. But now, after years of angst, there's a growing belief that Auburn is on the verge of a turnaround under third-year coach Hugh Freeze. It begins with a new, highly touted quarterback, one of the best receiving corps in the country and a defense that returns several starters while adding some key transfers. 'Our roster is just better,' Freeze said. 'We're bigger. We're faster. We're stronger. Our culture is stronger. Our chemistry and carryover in coaching is here for a second consecutive year, and most of our locker room is bought into the standard to which we think it will take for us to win football games.' Auburn is 11-14 in Freeze's two seasons, including 1-8 against ranked teams. He's winless in four tries against rivals Alabama and Georgia, although both make the trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium this fall. 'Our roster is one that can compete with those teams,' Freeze said. Upgrades on offense The problems have been easy to identify. Auburn has the most turnovers (42) in the SEC over the last two years and was downright dreadful in the red zone in 2024. But there's hope. Quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) transferred in along with left tackle Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech) and right tackle Mason Murphy (USC). Arnold was sacked 35 times in 10 games last season but expects to stay more upright — and have better targets — at Auburn. The Tigers boast sophomore sensation Cam Coleman alongside Bryce Cain, Malcolm Simmons, and Perry Thompson — a group of in-state receivers dubbed 'the Freeze Four.' Auburn beefed up the unit by signing Georgia Tech's Eric Singleton Jr. and Wake Forest's Horatio Fields out of the transfer portal. 'It's a bunch of studs out there,' Arnold said. Defense should be better, too Consecutive top-10 recruiting classes should show up on defense in 2025. Defensive end Keldric Faulk, who recorded seven sacks as a sophomore, is widely regarded as a top-five draft pick. He anchors a defense that includes several sophomores stepping into bigger roles, including linebacker Demarcus Riddick and much of the secondary. 'I feel our defense could be the best in the country, in my opinion,' Faulk said. 'I feel like everybody has another year under them. Really that's another year of maturity. So I do expect a lot out of our whole defense. We should, at the end of the year, be the best defense in the country.' Scheduling quirks await Auburn opens the season Aug. 29 at Baylor, which landed former Auburn QB Walker White in December. Will he remember the Tigers' formations, hand signals and audibles? 'It does make for an interesting week when you start thinking about, 'Oh, heck, it's the same system and verbiage,'' Freeze said. 'That's something you do have to think about.' The Tigers also begin SEC play at Oklahoma, which surely will be fired up to get a shot at ex-starter Arnold in Norman. The rest of the slate feels manageable There's no doubt that Auburn's three-game stretch against No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 19 Texas A&M and No. 5 Georgia — the first two on the road — will go a long way to determining whether the Tigers can reach 10 wins for the first time since 2017. The rest of the slate feels somewhat manageable. It includes very winnable games against Ball State, South Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Mercer. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
